India’s team selection has once again become a talking point, with questions being raised over Arshdeep Singh’s absence from the playing XI in the opening two ODIs against New Zealand. The left-arm pacer has already established himself as a game-changer in T20Is, yet his opportunities in the 50-over format remain limited despite being around the ODI setup for over a year. For the first two matches, the team management opted for Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna and Harshit Rana, leaving Arshdeep on the sidelines. The call has drawn attention, particularly with India lacking a left-arm pace option in the attack. With the series poised ahead of the decider on Sunday, the spotlight is firmly on Gautam Gambhir and Shubman Gill to consider a change that could add balance and variety to the bowling unit.
Former India batter Mohammad Kaif weighed in on India’s ODI selection in the ongoing New Zealand series, questioning Arshdeep’s omission and taking aim at the continued backing of Krishna. Kaif dismissed the excuse of an under-par total against New Zealand in the second ODI, stressing that World Cup-winning teams must learn to defend modest scores with the ball.
“You are leaving out Arshdeep, who is a wicket-taker and looking to groom Prasidh Krishna. He always goes for runs except in a game or two. If someone says 280 runs were less and that’s why India could not win, then I do not see this team winning the World Cup. Sometimes they will be 15-20 runs under par. If you want to win the World Cup, you will have to learn to win games with 270-280 runs as well. You have to learn to win games with the ball when the score is under par,” Kaif said on his YouTube channel.
“Learn to take wickets in dew”
Kaif also played down the frequent focus on dew as a decisive factor in matches, urging the team management and players to concentrate on finding ways to adapt and win regardless of conditions, especially with bigger tournaments in mind.
“There will always be dew. I feel there should be less focus on these things and more focus on the method to win. Look at how you can bowl even in the dew. You will have to learn to do this,” he said.
