“I am sure he would have done this” - Mohammad Kaif praises KL Rahul’s tactics in IND vs SA 2025 1st ODI

Former batter Mohammad Kaif praised skipper KL Rahul for his tactics during the first ODI between India and South Africa in Ranchi. The Men in Blue beat the Proteas by 17 runs in the three-match series.

KL Rahul is leading the team in this series, with Shubman Gill ruled out due to the neck injury he picked up during the Test series. Mohammad Kaif not only appreciated his batting but also lauded Rahul for picking the right playing XI. Despite a trend of having batting depth and all-rounders, which India have been following, six proper bowlers played in the first ODI against the Proteas.

Kaif reckoned that senior pros Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma would also have played a role. He stated that Rahul would certainly have taken some advice from the two stalwarts.

"KL Rahul has his own limitations. He has his way of playing, but is consistent. He always scores. He has done a lot of good things too in this game. He played proper bowlers and did not play Pant or Reddy. It would not have been an easy call as a new captain. I think he would have taken some input from Virat and Rohit as well, somewhere on the sidelines, if not directly. He is a mature captain. I am sure he would have done this. That is why six proper bowlers played. You need extra bowlers on such wickets, and this was very good captaincy," he said on his YouTube channel.

India scored 349/8 batting first. However, as it was a good surface, South Africa got close. They were eventually bowled out for 332 and fell short. The visitors almost won the game despite being reduced to 11/3 at one point in the chase.

There were questions over Washington Sundar's role in the team. He batted at number five but bowled just three overs. Mohammad Kaif expressed that Sundar could be in the team to fill the absence of an all-rounder with Hardik Pandya out due to injury.

"You need an all-rounder as Hardik is not there. Sundar bats well, even if he may not bowl a lot. That is why he is in the team. The left-handers got out early, so maybe he did not bowl a lot, but he will have a role to play in the next game," Mohammad Kaif stated.

The second ODI will be played on December 3 in Raipur, followed by the final game on December 6 in Visakhapatnam.

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Mohammad Kaif feels India need Kuldeep Yadav to win the 2027 World Cup

Meanwhile, Mohammad Kaif also expressed that India must play wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav at the 2027 ODI World Cup. He reckoned that they required a wicket-taking bowler like Kuldeep to win the mega event.

Kuldeep went for some runs in the first game against South Africa. However, he bowled a match-winning spell and got the hosts back into the game when Matthew Breetzke (72) and Marco Jansen (70) were well set chasing 350.

"Even without Kuldeep Yadav, you cannot win the World Cup. Take this in writing as well. He may get hit, but in the whole game, he can create impact. A moment will come when he will change the game. He is that kind of bowler. He certainly leaves his impact," Kaif said.

The duo added 97 runs in just 69 balls and looked like take the hosts to victory. However, Kuldeep dismissed both batters in the space of three balls to turn the game on its head. He ended with figures of 4/68 in 10 overs.