Former India batter Mohammad Kaif opined on a major change under VVS Laxman during the Zimbabwe T20I series, noting that the interim head coach did not focus on batting depth until No. 8. He also said that ahead of India’s two-match away Test series against Sri Lanka, starting on August 15, with Gautam Gambhir returning as the head coach after being rested for the Zimbabwe tour.

Speaking during a discussion on his YouTube channel (Mohammad Kaif), he said: “Yes, absolutely, there is pressure. Because if you look at it, as soon as VVS Laxman arrived in Zimbabwe as the coach, we won all three matches. There were no problems there. Look, what was the best thing VVS Laxman did? The best thing he did was that he did not focus on having batting depth until No. 8. He went with seven proper batters and five proper bowlers. Look, when Laxman picked his playing XI, he never thought, ‘We need an all-rounder at No. 8 who can do a bit of bowling and a bit of batting, so let’s leave out a main bowler.’ He didn’t do that.”

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“Now, if you notice, he also played Ravi Bishnoi. Bishnoi played only one match on the England tour and was dropped after that. VVS Laxman backed Vaibhav Suryavanshi, and he went on to become the Player of the Series. Now, look at the environment in which you play. It makes a big difference, the kind of atmosphere you create and how you back your players. VVS Laxman kept it simple: seven proper batters and five proper bowlers. So, there is pressure, of course. When another coach comes in and wins three matches comfortably, without any problems, and the matches don’t even get close, that naturally creates pressure,” he again shared.

However, Mohammad Kaif also added that uncapped all-rounder Saransh Jain is likely to sit out of the first Test, with Kuldeep Yadav and Manav Suthar expected to play ahead of him.

“The first Test match looks difficult for Saransh Jain, in my opinion. So, the first Test might be difficult for him. They will probably give an opportunity to Kuldeep, who has been playing consistently and is one of the experienced players in the squad. Kuldeep is a proven player in Test matches, so they should give him a chance first. I think Manav Suthar will be ahead of him, and Saransh, who has just been selected, might have to wait for his opportunity in the first match,” he concluded.