By Admin 
After the humiliating 30-run defeat at the hands of South Africa in the Kolkata Test, the Indian team is facing criticism from all sides. Team India’s batting faltered badly on the difficult spin track. Meanwhile, former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif has seriously accused the team management of creating an “atmosphere of fear and insecurity”.
“Players are playing in fear”
Kaif said on his YouTube channel that the biggest lack in the Indian team today is clarity and trust. He said in clear words, “There is a lot of confusion in the team. There is a lack of confidence among the players. Everyone is playing with fear, no one feels that the team management is standing with them.”
Giving an example, Kaif said that even after scoring a century, Sarfaraz Khan could not cement his place in the team. He was dropped without giving him a chance. Whereas Sai Sudarshan, who had scored 87 runs in the last match, also did not get a chance in the next test. According to Kaif, “If a player does not get confidence even after scoring 100, then how will the other players have confidence?”
Big question on spin preparation
Kaif has also raised questions on the team’s preparation regarding India’s poor batting performance. He said that Washington Sundar was able to survive because he has played on the turning tracks of Chennai since childhood. “Sundar knows when to use footwork on spin and when to keep his hands soft. Chennai batsmen are naturally strong against spin.”
Kaif believes that if Sai Sudarshan was at number 3 and Sundar was in the lower order, India could have easily won this match. He said, “Sudarshan is also from Chennai. He also plays spin well. Sudarshan was in good form, scored 87 runs, yet he is not in the playing XI. This shows serious confusion in the decisions of the team management.”
Question on team management strategy
Mo. Kaif says that when a player is not confident in his place, he is unable to play his natural game and breaks down under pressure. He alleges that constant changes in the team and wrong selection have made the players unsafe.
The next fight is now ‘do or die’
India will now face South Africa in the second Test starting from Friday. Learning from the mistakes of the first Test, India will need a clear strategy to save the series.