Former Indian cricketer Mohammed Kaif has said that a mature skipper doesn’t openly blame his player, adding that Delhi Capitals captain Axar Patel shouldn’t have namedrop Kuldeep Yadav despite the latter’s off-form.
Despite keeping their faint playoff hopes alive with a thrilling three-wicket victory over the Punjab Kings in Dharamsala on Monday, Delhi Capitals remain under pressure after suffering seven losses in 12 games this season.
Questions have persisted around their spin attack as well, particularly the performances of Axar and Kuldeep. After DC’s earlier loss to Chennai Super Kings, the former had spoken about Kuldeep’s struggles, something Kaif believes shouldn’t have happened.
“A mature captain never publicly names one of his players
or lets his player down. He doesn’t openly blame him. I can understand that Kuldeep has gone through a tough phase this season; he has not bowled that well and hasn’t picked up many wickets,” Kaif said while speaking on his YouTube channel.
“But ever since Kuldeep joined DC, he has been a proven bowler. Forget just the IPL; even if you talk about India in ODIs or T20Is over the years, he has performed,” Kaif said.
“Yes, this season has been a bit quiet for him and his bowling has not been at its best. But you should never take a player’s name publicly. Instead, you should say that things did not go well as a team,” Kaif added.
Interestingly, Axar himself produced a skipper’s knock during Delhi Capitals’ dramatic chase against Punjab Kings. After DC slumped to 33/3 in pursuit of 211, Axar hammered 56 off just 30 balls and shared a vital stand with David Miller to revive the innings.
“I have been saying that we are a good team, playing good cricket but not winning the crucial moments. I am really happy with how we played and hopefully we continue playing like this,” Kaif said.
