Former Indian batsman Mohammad Kaif has given captain Shreyas Iyer an important piece of advice as the Men in Blue prepare to face Zimbabwe in the three-match T20I series. Kaif wants Shreyas Iyer to support leg spinner Ravi Bishnoi and give him full confidence after his recent struggles.
Kaif said that a player can never play fearless cricket if he keeps worrying about being out, hence he wants Iyer to show full faith in Bishnoi in the upcoming T20 series in Zimbabwe, starting on Thursday, July 23 at the Harare Cricket Stadium in Harare. Earlier, Prabhasimran Singh was impressed by Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s batting, shared his experience
Mohammad Kaif wants Shreyas Iyer to trust Ravi Bishnoi
Ravi Bishnoi returned to the Indian team only after Varun Chakraborty was out due to injury. However, the young spinner failed to perform well on the England tour. He conceded 60 runs in his four overs in the second T20I in Manchester.
He also bowled three no-balls and was dropped from the playing eleven after that match, but is now back with the team for the Zimbabwe series. Meanwhile, Dinesh Karthik criticizes England’s ‘IPL blame game’, David Lloyd reacts sharply.
Mohammad Kaif feels that Shreyas Iyer should sit down with Ravi Bishnoi and assure him that he will get enough chances in the T20 team. Cricket pundits believe that Bishnoi should know that one poor performance will not decide his future in the team.
Cricbuzz quoted Mohammad Kaif as saying, “Bishnoi had played only one match in England before being dropped. I want Iyer to handle Bishnoi well. Tell him, ‘Brother, no matter how you play, you will get the whole series.’ At least give him a chance. If you give him just one match and then drop him, it will create insecurity in the team.
Don’t let Ravi Bishnoi lose confidence: Kaif urges Shreyas Iyer
The former India batsman believes that T20 cricket needs fearless players and confidence comes only when the captain supports the players who should not play for fear of losing their place in the team after one poor performance. He feels that insecurity could further spoil Bishnoi’s form.
Kaif further explained, “Seeing this, a player coming into the team may think that if he does not perform in a match, he can be dropped. If you do not come with an aggressive style without any pressure, you will lag behind in T20 cricket. So, in my opinion, Bishnoi, especially, assure him that you will play all the matches, so bowl freely.”
Even before the England series, Bishnoi struggled while playing for Rajasthan Royals in the recent IPL 2026, where he managed to take only 11 wickets in nine matches. His struggles forced Rajasthan Royals to prefer young spinner Yashraj Punja ahead of Bishnoi.
Shreyas Iyer calls for unity as young India looks to make a comeback
Earlier, Shreyas Iyer had asked his teammates to ignore external criticism and focus on playing good cricket together after the poor results on the England tour.
He said in the pre-match press conference, “I have to give the message that whatever is happening outside, what people say, we do not need to think too much about it. We have to live in the present moment. The more we play good cricket, the more we will play with unity as a team and the team will benefit. We will think about individuals later.”
