'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYGBgYHBgcICAcKCwoLCg8ODAwODxYQERAREBYiFRkVFRkVIh4kHhweJB42KiYmKjY+NDI0PkxERExfWl98fKf/2wBDAQYGBgYHBgcICAcKCwoLCg8ODAwODxYQERAREBYiFRkVFRkVIh4kHhweJB42KiYmKjY+NDI0PkxERExfWl98fKf/wgARCAAHAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFQABAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAX/xAAVAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACBP/aAAwDAQACEAMQAAAAkSiB/wD/xAAfEAEAAQQBBQAAAAAAAAAAAAABAwACESESBAUGIjH/2gAIAQEAAT8A6eLx3hg4QWCIRxtuTK7wfauk7E3LdPtd+sjX/8QAGBEAAgMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEDBGH/2gAIAQIBAT8AVmTD/8QAFREBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABH/2gAIAQMBAT8Aj//Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif has opined that the team currently lacks a proper captain. His remarks came after India’s 408-run defeat in the second Test against South Africa in Guwahati on Wednesday, November 26. With this win, the Proteas completed a 2-0 clean sweep, having won the first Test in Kolkata by 30 runs.
Following the game, during a discussion on his YouTube channel, when asked whether the team is coach-driven, Kaif stated that India does not have a proper captain. He questioned how much captaincy experience Shubman Gill has in home conditions, while adding that comparisons with the West Indies series, which the hosts won 2-0, are irrelevant, as even a UP Ranji team could beat them. He said:
“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 a UP Ranji team can beat them. So what I’m saying is that they still don’t really have a captain.”
Trending
Meanwhile, Gill missed the Guwahati Test due to a neck injury, with Rishabh Pant leading the side. Kaif also questioned the decision, asking why a player with no prior captaincy experience was made captain, especially against the World Test Champions, saying:
“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.”
“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,” he added.
This was only the second time the Proteas have won a Test series in India, and their first since 2000.
“South Africa doesn’t make these kinds of mistakes” - Mohammad Kaif explains why India went down to the Proteas while they drew the England series
In the same discussion, Mohammad Kaif was asked about how earlier this year India drew the five-match away series against England 2-2 but got whitewashed at home against South Africa. The 44-year-old noted that England had a very weak team and, like India, dropped several catches in the series.
In contrast, the Proteas did not let such chances slip, with Kaif highlighting how Aiden Markram took nine catches while Marco Jansen took an amazing catch to wrap up the Kolkata match, something the England team could not do. He said:
“England is sitting at number six in the Test rankings. You’ve overrated England; they’re not some huge, unbeatable team. Neither Broad nor Anderson was there; all new bowlers were playing. Even after that, you couldn’t win the series. It ended 2-2, and in the last Test you actually lost. They still had seven wickets in hand and needed only 70 runs. From there Siraj came in and bowled them out. He kept fighting like a warrior till the end, and won the match by six runs. That’s how it became 2-2; India didn’t come back after winning the series. And honestly, England’s team was very weak, extremely weak.”
“If you look here, South Africa has proper bowlers like Jansen, he’s tall, and spinners in the likes of Maharaj and Harmer. India also dropped catches in the England series, but England were much worse. Joe Root and Jadeja scored a hundred because of dropped catches; how many examples should I give you? South Africa doesn't make these kinds of mistakes. Even the slightest chance you give them, they take it. Look at Markram; he took around 9-10 catches. Their bowling is accurate, their fielding is sharp, captaincy is good. They won the toss and batted. Markram himself took nine catches; they simply didn't drop. Did you see the catch for the last wicket? England couldn’t take that even in their dreams,” he added.
India and South Africa will now compete in a three-game ODI series, starting November 30 in Ranchi.
Follow IPL Auction 2025 Live Updates, News & Biddings at Sportskeeda. Get the fastest updates on Mega-Auction and cricket news
