"I don't think you have a place to try new players out" - Mohammad Kaif on India fielding a full-strength squad for the West Indies tour
Mohammad Kaif feels India did not have too many opportunities to try out new players in the upcoming series against the West Indies.
India will face the Windies in two Tests, three ODIs and five T20Is, with the first Test starting in Roseau on July 12. While the Test and ODI squads are primarily made up of tried-and-tested players, the veterans have not been picked for the shortest format as has been the norm in recent times.
During an interaction on 'Virtual Encounters' on DD India, Kaif was asked about his thoughts on India fielding a full-strength squad for the West Indies tour, to which he responded:
"You have the Asia Cup and the World Cup coming up, so I don't think you have a place to try new players out. You can have one or two here and there like Yashasvi Jaiswal has been playing well and he is in the squad."
The former Indian batter feels the senior players need to stay in touch with the game to retain their form for the big tournaments:
"Someone like Rinku Singh can be added but apart from that, you have to have players in form when the big tournaments come. When the big matches come, you have to have your senior players ready, which means they need to keep playing."
Mohammad Shami is the only senior player who seems to have been rested for the Test and ODI series against the Windies. With Cheteshwar Pujara dropped from the Test side, either Yashasvi Jaiswal or Ruturaj Gaikwad might get a debut in the first game.
"When you come to the Asia Cup and the World Cup, you need to have all the players ready and in good form" - Mohammad Kaif
Mohammad Kaif pointed out that the Indian players have had a decent break since the World Test Championship (WTC) final:
"After the WTC final, they had a month off, the Indian team is not playing right now. So once you go to the West Indies, you want to keep playing, you want to be in form. When you come to the Asia Cup and the World Cup, you need to have all the players ready and in good form."
The cricketer-turned-commentator added that Rohit Sharma will want the main players to be at the top of their game going forward:
"That's why you are not seeing so many young faces on the West Indies tour. I like the idea of keeping senior players, let them play. Rohit Sharma likes the idea of keeping the senior players in form."
Kaif acknowledged that the Indian seamers, Mohammed Siraj and Mohammad Shami, looked tired in the WTC final and that they conceded too many runs in Australia's first innings. However, he added that the month-long break should stand them in good stead.