“He has a solid technique to play at No. 4” - Mohammad Kaif picks Shreyas Iyer’s replacement for IND vs SA 2025 ODIs

Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif has backed wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel to feature at No.4 for India in the upcoming ODI series against South Africa in place of the injured Shreyas Iyer. The ODI vice-captain is unlikely to recover in time from the rib injury he sustained during the Australia tour, for the three-match home series against the Proteas beginning on November 30.

India have not had to look past Shreyas Iyer for the No.4 slot in recent times due to his sheer consistency. He has emerged as one of the best batters in the world as far as that particular spot is concerned, and his absence is touted to be massive for the hosts.

The last time Shreyas Iyer missed an ODI for India was during the 2023 tour of South Africa. In his absence, KL Rahul batted at No.4, while Tilak Varma and Sanju Samson were slotted either side of him in the middle-order.

Kaif opined that since Dhruv Jurel was the backup batter in Team India's last ODI squad, he should be given a shot at the spot in the playing XI now.

"The backup batter in the previous ODI squad, whoever it is, he should get the chance, why should his chance be stolen? So, if Jurel was the back-up batter, then he would play. He has a solid technique to play at No.4, so why not? He is scoring runs, is in good form. He is ready, so he should play in the ODIs," Kaif said on his YouTube channel.

"Coaches should look to make players, build players, rather than calling up players from here and there always, then play them and drop them, and the same cycle repeats. How can you then finalize a squad with a pool of 40-50 players? You should proceed with what you already have," he added.

Jurel has played 10 List A matches in his career, scoring 189 runs at an average of 47.25 and a strike rate of 92.19. However, the wicketkeeper has not played any 50-over game in competitive cricket since late 2023, with his last appearance being for Uttar Pradesh in the Vijay Hazare Trophy against Andhra.

"It is not even a debate for me" - Mohammad Kaif picks his favored captain among Sourav Ganguly, Rohit Sharma, and MS Dhoni

Team India have been blessed with some iconic leaders over the years, and Mohammad Kaif was asked to pick the captain of his choice between some heavyweights like Sourav Ganguly, Rohit Sharma, and MS Dhoni.

The former player asserted that Ganguly does not need any ICC trophies to be ranked at the top, while crediting him for the way he built a team under some tricky circumstances.

"Ganguly took charge when there were dark clouds hovering over Indian cricket. He paved the way out of that phase, and it is a route that is still being in use. So, it is not even a debate for me. On the basis of numbers, you can say that captains won this many ICC trophies and all. In that regard, Ganguly will be behind, but the way he rescued Indian cricket is something. Winning overseas and playing with aggression is something that Ganguly taught," Kaif concluded.

The iconic batter led India in 196 matches in total in his international career, where he had a win percentage of 49.48 with 97 wins. He had a huge role in developing key players like Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, and Zaheer Khan, among others, who would go on to be the backbone of the team in the iconic 2011 World Cup success.