NZ vs IND 2022: The preparation starts from here, there’s no time for experiments – Mohammad Kaif

Former Indian batter Mohammad Kaif has urged the selectors to pick a team keeping the next ODI World Cup in mind. Kaif believes it makes sense to give opportunities to players who are part of the plan for the next year’s World Cup.

The former Uttar Pradesh batter showed his surprise that Bhuvneshwar Kumar isn’t part of the ongoing ODI series against New Zealand. India has backed bowlers like Shardul Thakur, Arshdeep Singh, and Umran Malik in the first two matches of the series.

India’s team management and the selectors need to be spot-on in their planning for the next year’s World Cup. Meanwhile, the Chetan Sharma-led selection panel was recently sacked by the BCCI after the team failed to go all the way in the T20 World Cup.

Kaif believes there is no time for experiments and the preparation for the next year’s World Cup should start as soon as possible.

“Why is Bhuvneshwar Kumar not in the squad, I have no clue. He’s a good bowler, but not part of the squad. In the search for new players, we are losing out on the old ones. There’s a saying: in search of diamonds, we lost the gold,” Kaif said while talking to Amazon Prime.

“You had good players in the squad so this shouldn’t be the case. If you’re backing someone, please do it nicely. The preparation starts from here, there’s no time for experiments. The months will pass, and suddenly you’ll find yourself approaching the World Cup. So, you decide on the players and keep backing them,” he added.

Kaif feels India missed a fast bowler in the T20 World Cup, who could have bowled consistently above 145 kmph. The former Indian batter, who is well known for his NatWest Trophy final heroics, wants the team management to back Umran Malik, who has extra pace under his arsenal.

“Umran Malik, the extra pace that we often talk about, (Jasprit) Bumrah got injured at the T20 World Cup, there was no one with that kind of pace. The three pacers – Arshdeep (Singh), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and (Mohammed) Shami all three of them bowl nearly at the same pace. In the World Cup, we missed someone, who can bowl 145 cases per hour. Someone like Umran Malik, definitely, back him from here on,” Kaif concluded.

The third ODI between India and New Zealand will be played on Wednesday at Hagley Oval, Christchurch.