'He Is A Mature Captain': Mohammad Kaif Praises Indian Skipper's Tactics Following IND vs SA 1st ODI Win

Former India Team player Mohammad Kaif recently praised ODI captain KL Rahul for his tactics in the 1st India vs South Africa ODI at the JSCA Stadium, Ranchi. Gautam Gambhir's side beat the visitors by 17 runs in the three-match series.

With Shubman Gill ruled out due to a neck injury he picked up during the recent Test Series against SA, KL Rahul is currently leading the Men in Blue. Mohammad Kaif not only praised the skipper for his performance in the match but also lauded him for selecting the perfect playing XI for the game.

Notably, six proper bowlers played in the 1st ODI despite India's ongoing trend of focusing on batting depth and all-rounders.

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Mohammad Kaif Lauds KL Rahul For Making The Right Choices

Kaif explained that the decision to leave Pant out of the playing XI must have been a difficult one. Additionally, he added, senior players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli might have played some role in the team selection.

Mohammad Kaif shared, "KL Rahul has his own limitations. He has his way of playing, but is consistent. He always scores. He has done a lot of good things, too, in this game. He played proper bowlers and did not play Pant or Reddy. It would not have been an easy call as a new captain."

He continued, "I think he would have taken some input from Virat and Rohit as well, somewhere on the sidelines, if not directly. He is a mature captain. I am sure he would have done this. That is why six proper bowlers played. You need extra bowlers on such wickets, and this was very good captaincy."

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India Won The 1st ODI Against South Africa

After losing the toss, India set a mammoth target of 350 runs for the visitors. The South African team, however, got close to attaining the target before they were eventually bowled out for 332 runs.