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Former India batter Mohammad Kaif has reacted to the decision to name Cheteshwar Pujara as the vice-captain for the first Test match against Bangladesh, which starts on December 14 at Chittagong.
The Men in Blue will have their task cut out when they meet the Bangla Tigers after recently conceding the ODI series 1-2. Notably, a number of new names have come into India's Test setup, while some players' roles have been re-designated.
KL Rahul has been bestowed with the captaincy in the absence of full-time skipper Rohit Sharma, who had to miss out on the Test series opener due to an injury. However, the most prominent change so far is Cheteshwar Pujara being named Rahul's deputy for the first Test.
Fans have also been debating the decision since Rishabh Pant had taken up the role in a stand-in capacity earlier.
Echoing the same sentiment, Mohammad Kaif admitted the decision to appoint Pujara as Rahul's deputy was 'shocking' in an exclusive interview with NDTV's Rica Roy. The 42-year-old also highlighted that Pant had delivered the goods and hit a ton the last time he was named the vice-captain.
The ex-India batter said:
"Shocking that Pujara was made vice-captain. Pant scored a century in the last Test when he was the vice-captain."
Kaif also took a dig at the selectors, saying:
"Selectors are not treating players in the right manner. Rishabh should not have been vice-captain then."
Mohammad Kaif urges BCCI to manage workload of players
Kaif also urged the BCCI to emphasize injury management as a lot of players have been missing out on important assignments due to injuries. Talismanic Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah had to miss both Asia Cup and T20 World Cup earlier this year for this reason.
Mohammad Kaif conceded that while he understands the importance of a break for fast bowlers, he strongly opined against batters taking as many breaks as they are at present. He asserted that batters previously took only sporadic breaks from the game, citing the examples of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag, etc.
