Mohammad Kaif says that the policy of the current Indian team management is such that they don’t give much importance to what a player has done in the past when choosing a squad or playing XI. He claims that the captain Virat Kohli looks at the current form before deciding upon a combination which means no player can be assured of a fixed place in the team.
Kohli has in the past drawn criticism for his propensity to continously tinker with his playing XIs no matter whether the result is positive or negative.
“There is no clarity in this Indian team and we need to accept it. Virat Kohli doesn’t play this way. He sees who is the most in-form player and picks him in the XI," Kaif told Sports Tak.
“This is Kohli’s way. At the end of the day you need to judge how many trophies he has won as a captain and he hasn’t been able to win an ICC trophy," he added.
He says the reason the likes of Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan have been given a chance is because they have been one of the most in-form players in domestic circuit and hence, the elevation.
“This team and this management do not give as much importance to past performance. Virat Kohli focuses on what form you are in at the current point. This is why Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan got opportunities. This is why Shikhar Dhawan missed a few games, Rohit Sharma was rested," Kaif observed.
Kaif, who played 13 Tests and 125 ODIs between 2000 and 2006, reckons that is how Kohli operates and everyone seems to have made peace with his style.
“No one’s place is fixed in this team and even the players know that. This is an old discussion now, and even the players have moved on now and have decided this is the way to go," he said.
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