Follow UsWith a massive 408-run loss in the second Test in Guwahati, India were on the receiving end of their second home whitewash in a year, this time against South Africa. The Proteas also won the first Test in Kolkata by 30 runs. Overall, India have won two and lost five of their last seven home Tests, dating back to the New Zealand series last year, which the visitors won 3-0.
Between these two whitewashes, India did beat West Indies 2-0 at home. However, former India batter Mohammad Kaif does not believe one can read too much into the team's performances in that series, as he believes that an Uttar Pradesh (UP) Ranji Trophy team could have beaten them.
“Look, you have to face the truth. Right now, they don’t have a proper captain. Gill has only just started captaining. Tell me first, how much captaincy has he done in India? Don’t talk about the West Indies, don’t compare the West Indies. Even an UP Ranji team can beat them. So what I’m saying is that they still don’t really have a captain," Kaif said on his YouTube channel.
With a new captain at the helm, Kaif believes there will be ups and downs, but at the same time, he is worried about some of the batters not being exposed to turning tracks in domestic cricket.
“Rishabh Pant is captaining his very first Test match. You have someone who has never captained before, yet he is leading the team against the World Test Champion. Gill is also a new captain and you have new players, so ups and downs will happen," he said.
“Here, someone like Sudharsan plays on seaming tracks, in IPL they play on flat pitches, Jurel too plays mostly on flat or seaming pitches. Where do they even play on turning tracks? That’s what I’m trying to say. There are eight to ten issues that have gone wrong. It’s difficult to pinpoint just one. They have a lot of things to fix right now."
India will not play a home Test for the next six months. However, the ongoing tour of South Africa will resume with the One-Day International (ODI) series, starting November 30 (Sunday).