India's Death Bowling Under Scrutiny as Kaif Blasts Captaincy
Mohammad Kaif has fired a strong critique at India's captain Shreyas Iyer, saying the team's bowling management is a key reason behind its T20 setbacks. India's fourth T20I loss to New Zealand at Eden Park, Auckland, has sparked fresh debate on the issue.
Kaif said the problem goes beyond one result. He pointed to Iyer's bowling changes and his choices about which bowler to use at which point in the innings, describing them as a repeated pattern that demands attention.
He said teams are now regularly reaching 200, 225 and even 250 against India, a trend he finds alarming. Kaif believes the captain must become far more skilled at managing specialist bowlers.
In his assessment, Arshdeep Singh is India's go-to left-arm specialist for the death overs, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar brings valuable experience with the new ball and in the final over. Kaif argued that Iyer should keep these bowlers back for the moments when batters look to attack. He said the 17th and 19th overs are generally the ones teams want to protect for their best bowlers, a basic principle of T20 cricket.
Kaif also presented a striking figure. Before 2026, India had never given away 250 or more runs in men's T20 cricket. Under Iyer's leadership, the team has conceded three such scores in four months. England posted 257 for 3 at Southampton, West Indies managed 252 for 4 in Ranchi and New Zealand finished on 259 for 7 in Auckland.
Still, Kaif said it would be wrong to blame the captain for every costly spell. He acknowledged that the way India used its bowlers had created problems too. In Auckland, Nitish Kumar Reddy conceded 64 runs in four overs, while Phillips and Bracewell added 115 runs in 41 balls. New Zealand scored 146 runs in the last nine overs, and India's attack could not stem the flow of boundaries. Arshdeep stood out as the only Indian bowler who kept things under some control.
Kaif noted that Arshdeep has been a regular in the side, but the bowlers around him have kept changing. He said this may be one reason India are finding it hard to control the scoring rate.
On the burden placed on Nitish Kumar Reddy, Kaif said the all-rounder should be used as a fifth or sixth bowling option, bowling his overs in the middle phase rather than being asked to shoulder frontline duties.
Iyer's problems are not limited to captaincy. As a batter, he has also struggled for runs. After an unbeaten 102 off 43 balls against West Indies in Lucknow on October 6, he has scored 40, 1, 16, 22, 42, 7, 5 and 22 in his last eight innings.