Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif took aim at Team India after the 3-1 Border-Gavaskar Trophy loss in Australia claiming the men Indian cricket team have become 'white-ball bully'. He also suggested that everything will be forgotten once India beat arch-rivals in the upcoming Champions Trophy this year.
"23 tareekh ko Pakistan ko hara kar saari waah waahi aap loot loge (After beating Pakistan February 23, you guys will take all the credit)," Kaif said in a video posted on his X handle.
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"Everyone will says that we are a champions side in the white-ball. But if India want to win the World Test Championship (WTC), we need to build a strong Test side. We have to learn how to play on turning tracks, in Australia we will have to learn to play on seaming condition. The truth is that we are just white-ball bullies. We are lagging too far behind," he added.
"If we have to win WTC, then players will have to give importance to domestic cricket. They need to play on the turning tracks, they will have to practice on the seaming tracks, otherwise we will not be able to win."
BGT loss should be taken as a wake-up call
Kaif also suggested that the BGT loss should be taken as a wake-up call for both players and management to focus on Test cricket.
"It's not just Gautam Gambhir, who is at fault. All players are equally to blamed for this. All players get the chance to play in the Ranji Trophy, but it gets tiresome for the players and they prefer to skip it. They don't play Ranji Trophy, they don’t play practice matches then how will they become better players? And WTC will keep eluding you," he said.
Kaif discussed the possibility of senior players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma missing the upcoming Ranji Trophy due to their demanding schedules. Both players have faced scrutiny for their performances since September, with calls for them to participate in the domestic season, set to resume on January 23. However, Kaif suggested that their need for rest could lead to them sitting out this season as well.
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