"Disappointed To Not See...": Mohammad Kaif Is Surprised To See This Star Missing From India T20I Squad vs South Africa

Several senior players have been rested for India's T20I squad for the five-match series against South Africa. The team bears a fresh look as veterans like Dinesh Karthik and Hardik Pandya have made a comeback into the squad, while youngsters like Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik ad Ravi Bishnoi have found a chance too. In the absence of the likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah, the fresh-look squad is part of the experimentation that the Indian team management will undertake in the lead up to the 2022 T20 World Cup.

However, former Indian cricket team player Mohammed Kaif is surprised to see Ravichandran Ashwin missing from the squad. Ashwin had an important role to play in Rajasthan Royals reaching the IPL 2022 final.

"Both India and South Africa have great squads. But in the Indian team, there is Chahal, Bishnoi, Axar. Where will you play the three leg-spinners? If you see the squad's balance, how can you play three leg-spinners in the team? I was somewhat disappointed to not see the name of R Ashwin. He was part of the team in the 2021 T20 World Cup and his current form is brilliant," Kaif said in an interview to Sportskeeda Cricket.

"In place of three leg-spinners, if you would have omitted one among then and played Ashwin instead, there would have been variation. The captain then has that option. He is bowling and batting really well. On that front, I think what is the role of three leg-spinners?"

While a veteran like Ravichandran Ashwin is missing, Pandya is back in the squad after leading Gujarat Titans to a triumph in the IPL 2022.

"It is really pleasing to have him back. Hardik at his best is a fantastic cricketer with both bat and ball. He's been very successful in white-ball cricket and has shown