IND vs WI: "Mistakes Have Happened" - Mohammad Kaif Delivers No-nonsense Verdict On Coach Rahul Dravid's Tenure

Former India National Cricket Team batter Mohammad Kaif has given a no-nonsense verdict on the tenure of Rahul Dravid as head coach of the side, saying that mistakes have been made, but the absence of key players has also hurt the side in the crucial matches.

India are currently in the Caribbean for an all-format tour. The Test series and ODI series have already concluded with the Men In Blue winning both, but things have not been good for the visitors in the five-match T20I series as they have lost the first two games and are on the verge of series defeat.

Following India’s defeat in back-to-back T20Is fans have been furious with head coach Rahul Dravid and have raised questions over the team’s preparation for the World Cup at home.

However, Mohammad Kaif feels that the Indian team shouldn’t be judged on the basis of their performance in West Indies T20Is.

“India has lost just two matches (T20Is against West Indies), so we do not need to get overly concerned. I am seeing a lot of negative reaction after the two losses. But I will only say that our team is extremely competitive,” Mohammad Kaif said as quoted by PTI.

“I am not going to judge (India) on two back-to-back losses (in the West Indies). The only thing is that key players are missing.”

According to Mohammad Kaif, Jasprit Bumrah’s return to the India setup will be a massive boost and it will increase India’s chances of lifting the World Cup.

“Bumrah missing is the biggest factor. If he recovers fully… one aspect is to complete the recovery and the other aspect is to gain match fitness. If he regains that (match fitness), it will be a massive gain for Team India. If Bumrah is fully fit, we have a great chance of winning the World Cup at home,” said Kaif.

Jasprit Bumrah has recovered from his back injury and is set to return to international cricket in the upcoming three-match T20I series against Ireland.

I think, is it not easy to play with Bumrah not in the side – Mohammad Kaif

Former India batter agreed that the Rahul Dravid-led coaching staff has made some mistakes, but said that playing without premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah was one of the main reasons behind the team’s failure in mega-events.

“A lot of people are discussing that the (India) team under (chief coach) Rahul Dravid lost the (T20) Asia Cup (last year), the (T20) World Cup in Australia, the World Test Championship in England (recently).

“I understand all that, mistakes have happened. But I think, is it not easy to play with Bumrah not in the side. He is the biggest match-winner and Rohit Sharma didn’t get his services, so think about all that.

“I believe, as soon as Bumrah returns fully fit… he wins 50 percent of the matches for the Indian team. I think if Bumrah is in the team and a few others like KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer also return, we have the players who can win the (World Cup) trophy,” added Kaif.

The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup is set to be held from October 5 to November 19. The Men In Blue will play their nine league games across nine different venues. India will open their campaign against Australia on October 8 in Chennai.