ICC World Cup 2019 | Mohammad Kaif unhappy with Rishabh Pant and Mayank Agarwalâs inclusion in Indian squad
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Mohammad Kaif has shown discontentment towards the inclusion of Rishabh Pant and Mayank Agarwal in the Indian squad for the World Cup. He has also stated that the number of matches played by them regularly should have been one of the parameters before selecting them for the quadrennial event.
Mayank Agarwal, the Indian test opener who debuted against Australia this year, received a surprise call for the marquee event as a replacement for Vijay Shankar. He is yet to play for the senior Indian team in limited-overs cricket. Earlier, wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant who doesnât have a fair amount of experience in ODI cricket was selected for the injured opener Shikhar Dhawan. Kaif is startled by this decision of picking inexperienced players for such an important event.Â
âThe only problem I have with players is that I need to see how many matches they have been playing regularly. Whether they are in touch or not," Kaif told ANI.Â
Before the start of the tournament, The Board of Control for Cricket in India(BCCI) mentioned Ambati Rayudu as one of the backup players. But, he was overlooked on both occasions. The 2003 Natwest Final hero is even doubting whether Pant can handle the pressure of such a big event.Â
"Same thing with Rishabh Pant. Of course, he had some practice session but the only factor is that he is not in touch of the condition so much and handling the pressure," Kaif mentioned.
Kaif came in support for the under-fire Indian team after their intent of winning was questioned when they lost to hosts England in their previous game. He even praised the English team for performing brilliantly under pressure.Â
âIndia played well. They just lost one game so it's not a big deal. Any team can lose one game. They've been playing well. If you talk about batsman, chasing 338 is a big task. It's not happened in the World Cup so far. India just had a bad day. England played really well. There was a saying they are tournament favourites," the Uttar Pradesh cricketer explained.
"We have a balanced side and players are in form. There are just a few areas where India need to work on. There have been injury concerns like Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Vijay Shankar is out. Injury cannot be helped but I think we have got the backups.â
