Mohammad Kaif made a bold statement on India's 3-1 loss in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy to Australia, as he called the Test series Embarrassment is a “blessing in disguise.”
The former India cricketer believes the embarrassing defeat has highlighted India's struggling batting unit, which could have escaped scrutiny had the series been drawn.
Mohammad Kaif calls India's 3-1 Test series loss to Australia a 'blessing in disguise'
Pointing his finger at Virat Kohli's struggles, Mohammad Kaif said that if the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy had been withdrawn, it would have masked the glaring problems in India's batting line-up, which has faltered in the back-to-back Test series against New Zealand. At home and Australia.
The numbers paint an alarming picture, with KL Rahul, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Yashasvi Jaiswal averaging over 30 in the five-match Test series against Australia. Muhammad Kaif stressed that this painful loss is a wake-up call to address the team’s weaknesses.
The former India batsman noted that the draw in the Australia tour may have shifted the focus to Jasprit BumrahPossible absences or heroics, but the focus now is on mending the cracks that have seen the Indian cricket team lose six of their last eight Tests, and that's a good thing indeed.
No one would have washed away the stains if India had drawn the Test series: Mohammad Kaif
“It is good that they lost this time (in BGT) because Bumrah may have regained his fitness and won the match,” Mohamed Kayed said in a video clip posted on Channel X on January 8. Bumrah would have been the champion and would have taken all the credit. But what about the spots on Virat Kohli and Indian cricket in Test matches? No one will wash it.
Now there will be work to wash away the stains after the loss because we now realize that we lost three Test matches against New Zealand and lost again 1-3 in Australia after winning the first Test. If we had won and made it 2-2, we wouldn't have discussed that. You have six of the last eight tests. “It's time to clean that up.”
Moreover, Kaif dealt a heavy blow at India's faltering batting line-up, as he pointed out that even in their own backyard, the batsmen failed to step up and perform well.
Mohammad Kaif criticizes India's batting failures, says spinners have hidden these issues
Kaif also pointed out that Rishabh Pant's Player of the Series award against Sri Lanka in 2021/22 was a rare exception, as the Indian batsmen were largely hidden by R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. Kaif boldly claims that if Ashwin and Jadeja's contributions were removed, India would have found it difficult to win even at home.
He criticized the lack of big performances from the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill and KL Rahul, questioning the last time the batsman won player of the series in a home Test series. Dominance by the Indian trio of Ashwin, Jadeja and Axar Patel It is often overshadowed by batting failures, which Kaif believes have been conveniently overlooked over the past few years.
Kaif signed off, saying: “Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, or KL Rahul. Who won the man of the series last time? The bowlers, especially the spinners, dominate the team and help it win. The batting is hidden. The batsmen flounder there too. They don't “They cover up, and when you win, you don't talk about it. Now is the time to prioritize the Test match.”
