India vs Sri Lanka: Mohammad Kaif backs Shikhar Dhawan's leadership skills, disagrees with 'second-string' tag for squad

Things have calmed down since the brief scare over the detection of COVID-19 cases in the home team's camp, and it looks like India will return to white-ball cricket after a period of four months with the ODI and T20I series in their tour of Sri Lanka, with Shikhar Dhawan leading a side mainly composed of reserves with the likes of regular skipper Virat Kohli and limited-overs vice-captain Rohit Sharma away on duty in England for the upcoming five-Test series.

That does bring to focus a number of factors, including Dhawan's lack of experience leading the Indian team even if he might have captain sides in domestic cricket and in the Indian Premier League in the past.

However, cricketer-turned-commentator Mohammad Kaif, who has seen Dhawan from close quarters given his position as assistant coach in Delhi Capitals, has backed the Delhi lad to do a good job of leading a young side that has several talents, along with some senior players with impressive records who have slid down the pecking order in recent times.

"I think captaining for India is a big deal. It’s an honour. He’s very excited to lead the side and he’s been there for the last many years. He’s been playing the very best at the moment, he’s been fantastic in the IPL," said the former India batsman in a virtual interaction with the press ahead of the one-day series between India and Sri Lanka.

"This tour as a captain, as a player, is very important for Shikhar Dhawan. And then the IPL coming up in the UAE is very important, because he must be eyeing the spot in the T20 World Cup, and deservedly so because he’s done so well in the last two-three years in the IPL and in domestic cricket. His best was last year when he got back-to-back centuries in UAE, and is scoring 600-700 runs in the IPL. So I think Shikhar Dhawan is very keen to create an impact on this tour as a captain also and as an opener.

"Captaincy becomes a bit easier once you know the players. Rahul Dravid being the coach, he’ll make sure Shikhar is comfortable. It’s sometimes easier to lead the young side. All the players they play in the IPL, they hang out. I see Shikhar Dhawan after the match, they sit together, have a chat, have a laugh, so he’s a very jolly, comfortable kind of person. He’ll have fun with the boys from the IPL. They all know each other very well. I’m sure he’s going to have a good time," added Kaif.

The tour will be a crucial one to a lot of the players as it's the last set of limited-overs internationals that India plays before the ICC T20 World Cup, which has been shifted from India to the UAE. Apart from the Sri Lanka tour, the second leg of the IPL, which had to be suspended after the dreaded virus breached the bio-bubble in India in May, will be the only other opportunity for the Indian cricketers to impress the Indian selectors along with regular skipper Kohli and the team management if they are to book their slot for the premier 20-over international event.

Among the players who will be hoping to bounce back to form in the Sri Lanka tour will be Kuldeep Yadav, who once had a mystery element to his bowling that made him incredibly difficult to read, but has seen his fortunes dip in recent years especially in the home series against England.

Kaif however, lent support to the spinner he played alongside in the Uttar Pradesh cricket team in Ranji Trophy, saying that talents like Kuldeep are rare in the sport and need the full backing along with proper management to get the best out of them.

"Kuldeep hails from UP. Belongs to Kanpur. Has played a bit of Ranji (Trophy) with me. You don’t always get a bowler like Kuldeep. He has a very unique talent of left-arm chinaman. More than anything else, captain on the field, and the coaches, the management, senior players, they have a big role in getting such players to perform. And it’s not like Kuldeep’s a newcomer to the Indian side. He has a fantastic record for Team India.

"I remember a delivery he bowled to Babar Azam in the 2017 Champions Trophy in England. Everyone was praising him and saying India is lucky to have these kind of talent. So for such a talent, it’s is one’s responsibility to ensure he’s managed properly. Kuldeep is an excellent bowler and should look ahead to the tour. This series will be very important for him, with Chahal playing alongside him. One good series can change a lot of things for you," said Kaif.

The tour has also been in the news for the wrong reasons, with 1996 World Cup-winning Sri Lanka captain Arjuna Ranatunga blasting Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) for agreeing to host a "second-string" Indian team and calling it an insult to Sri Lankan cricket. The board however, disagreed with Ranatunga's views, as did Kaif, who labelled the Dhawan-led squad a quality side with talented players.

"This is a very strong Indian team. Whether you label it a “second string” side or not, but it is a very good side with a lot of talented players part of this tour. Suryakumar Yadav has been playing in the IPL for many years. Ishan Kishan is in good form. Sanju Samson. Manish Pandey. Very important tour for Manish Pandey."

On Rahul Dravid, who will be serving as the head coach with Ravi Shastri performing the same duty with Kohli and Co on the other side of the globe, Kaif was effusive in his praise for the batting legend under whom he played back in the day.

"Pretty relaxed. Doesn’t complicate things, likes to keep things very simple. Rahul Dravid has done a good job with U-19 boys and India A boys. Most of the players would know Rahul Dravid and how he reacts and coaches, his style of coaching. Prithvi Shaw was the captain when India played the U-19 World Cup. So it helps if you know the players inside out, that helps you in coaching. People assume Rahul Dravid will bring in a lot of technical changes, but knowing Rahul Dravid, he’ll say “You should know how to score runs, how to take wickets.”

As for the fitness standards in the current side, the change in culture being brought about by the likes of MS Dhoni and current skipper Kohli, Kaif — who was among the best fielders of his era and has many a YouTube video documenting his exploits on the field — expressed happiness in the fitness standards of the current generation.

"If you’re 20 ,22-years-old and unfit, then I’m sorry. At the age of 20, 22, there’s no excuse. But I think Indian fielding has come a long way. I think apart from few players — I saw Varun Chakravarthy was injured in the last tour of Australia, he had some shoulder issue. Otherwise all the players spend lots of time, they’re eating the right kind of food, they are hiring professionals, so it has come a long way from my generation. They’ve become much more professional and they spare time in terms of looking after their body and fitness. But my suggestion would be to find balance. Activity at the ground, which is the real thing, and finding balance in the gym," added Kaif.

The tour of Sri Lanka kicks off with the one-day international series that starts 18 July — the start to the series getting pushed by five days due to COVID-19 cases in the Sri Lanka camp. The remaining one-dayers take place on 20 and 23 July before the T20I leg of the tour, which takes place on the 25, 27 and 29 of this month. All the matches will be played at Colombo's iconic R Premadasa Stadium.

Watch the 1st ODI on 18th July 2021 LIVE on SONY TEN 1 and SONY SIX in English from 3.00 pm IST