Sanju Samson or Ishan Kishan? Mohammad Kaif opines on which player will get the nod

As Team India's white-ball squad prepares to take on Sri Lanka in the upcoming three-match ODI and T20I series, former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif has predicted the players who are likely to play the initial matches against Sri Lanka.  The upcoming series against Sri Lanka will be an opportunity for the experienced as well as young players to knock on selectors doors with the ICC T20 World Cup around the corner.

Mohammad Kaif backs Sanju Samson to get nod over Ishan Kishan

With KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant both currently in England with the Test team, the ODI and T20I series will be an ideal opportunity for both Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan to push their case for a place in the shorter format of the game. During a virtual interaction organized by Sony Sports, Kaif said that Samson may get the nod over Ishan Kishan in the first couple of ODIs in the series due to his experience.

He said  "It’s going to be a very tough job for Rahul Dravid as a coach and Shikhar Dhawan as captain. There are only six matches and you have a big squad. But I think Sanju Samson has been there for the last couple of years. He has played for India before. He has gone to New Zealand, Australia. He has been captaining Rajasthan Royals too". He also added "I think in ODIs, Rahul Dravid and Shikhar Dhawan would prefer those who have already played for India. The experienced players might get priority in the first couple of matches. Sanju is one of them".

Kaif on inclusion of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal in playing 11

Apart from talking about Samson and Kishan, Kaif also shed limelight on the reunion of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal popularly known as 'Kul-Cha'. The duo made rapid strides towards finding a spot in Team India, however both the players have struggled for proper form and consistency at the highest level off late. However with other spinners like Rahul Chahar, Krunal Pandya, Krishnappa Gowtham, and Varun Chakravarthy also in the side, both cricketers will find it difficult to retain thei place. The former cricketer opined "Kuldeep and Chahal might play together. They haven’t played together for a long time. Kuldeep hasn’t played regularly for the last few months. He will be looking forward to making a mark. The senior players will get the first preference and from there on, they will see how it goes".

Credit: Ishan Kishan/ Sanju Samson/ Instagram/ Mohammad Kaif / Twitter