'Gill must eye WTC high,' says former star Mohammed Kaif

Former India batter Mohammed Kaif insists India captain Shubman Gill must look at the upcoming two-match Test series against Sri Lanka as the first step towards moving closer to reaching the 2025-2027 World Test Championship (WTC) final. India lost 0-2 against South Africa in this WTC cycle in November 2025 and are currently ranked fifth.

Kaif, 45, reckoned skipper Gill must stamp his authority on the Sri Lanka series and use it to turn around the fortunes of his team. “Shubman should be thinking about turning things around as India can still qualify for the WTC final. It’s not easy, but if we start winning matches consistently, we can make a comeback from here as well. So, let’s take it match by match. Let’s win here [in SL] and take this form ahead,” Kaif, a member of the Sony Sports Network commentary panel, told mid-day in an interview on Wednesday.

Mohammed Kaif. Pic/Satej Shinde

After the second Test in Colombo (August 23-27), India will play two away Tests against New Zealand in November, after which they will host Australia for a five-match series in January and February next year.

India won their practice match against Sri Lanka Cricket XI in Colombo a couple of days ago, and Kaif believes the Galle pitch for the opening Test, beginning on August 15, will not be a rank turner initially.

“The Indian team has been practising well. They won their three-day game and, overall, look to be in good shape. There is too much talk about turning tracks, but I don’t think it [Galle] will be a turning strip. In the first two days, it will be a good pitch and seamers can have their say. It could also be a good batting pitch for the first two-three days, after which the ball will turn on the fourth and fifth days,” said Kaif, who played three of his 13 Tests in Sri Lanka.

Kaif felt Gill & Co must make winning a habit.

“After this, there’s New Zealand, who are a tough side. So, let’s start winning now. Shubman has been a bit unfortunate as captain, with the likes of Jasprit Bumrah getting injured. When Virat Kohli was captain, his bowling line-up had [pacers] Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami and Bumrah. But still, we have some good players, good batters. Shubman just needs to bring his team together. The WTC final should be on his mind,” concluded Kaif.

[popcorn number="Five" desc="India’s current ranking in the WTC points table" class="Default"]

The ISL is unlikely to start on 4 September now. From what I understand, only one bid has been received to telecast the matches, and clubs may be better served by negotiating with other potential broadcast partners. Such deals do not happen overnight. It could take at least a month, if not longer, to resolve the issue. The uncertainty over the league’s start date is likely to continue for some time, and beginning it after the FIFA international window closes on October 6 may be a more pragmatic option.

It is now up to the clubs to resolve the situation and get the league back on track. In doing so, they will also need clarity on the participation of clubs such as Inter Kashi and Diamond Harbour. Are these clubs likely to play, and do they have the financial resources to do so? Can they honour the commitments they have made to the AIFF, and can those payments be made on time? While all clubs have paid the first tranche, the second instalment is due soon and could prove decisive in determining how events unfold.

From the standpoint of the sport, this uncertainty serves no one. Players need to feel secure, while fans deserve clarity on the plan and when the tournament is likely to begin. Any further delay will only increase uncertainty and once again bring issues such as player salaries to the forefront. Not every club will be in a position to meet its financial obligations, and Indian football certainly does not need a repeat of the uncertainty that plagued the sport in 2025.

Yesterday, I hosted a show analysing the social media response to the announcement of the India-Brazil match. Compared with the Brazil-Australia game, the level of engagement for India’s fixture was many times higher. That tells us something important – the sport still has a committed audience in India. The Brazil match generated millions of interactions on Instagram and, while not every reaction was positive, engagement itself is a sign of interest.

Fans are invested and willing to engage with football. From that perspective, any delay to the start of the ISL is damaging. The country’s premier football competition needs to get back on track as quickly as possible because prolonged uncertainty only hurts the image of the sport.

Many people ask why I continue to follow Indian football when the national team is ranked 138th in the world. My answer is simple. Many of us continued to support Indian hockey even after the team failed to qualify for the 2008 Olympics and finished with the wooden spoon in 2012. You do not stop supporting a sport or its players simply because results are poor.

There is no denying that Indian football has endured a difficult few years. But this is precisely the time to find a way forward and establish a clear roadmap. With the AIFF elections due soon, there is even greater reason to put controversies aside and allow the sport itself to take centre stage.

Can the clubs and the AIFF resolve these issues in the coming weeks? Will a broadcast partner – on the right terms – come on board quickly enough? The answers to these questions could well define the future of the ISL.

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Bangladesh's hopes of hosting India for a long-pending white-ball rubber in September seem all but over with the BCCI announcing that Shreyas Iyer and his men will face Afghanistan in a three-match T20I series in Delhi from September 13 to 17. The BCCI and the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) announced the series in a joint statement on Wednesday, the window for which clashes with the plans that Bangladesh had proposed. The Indo-Bangla bilateral series had to be postponed last year due to the political unrest in that country.

The games against Afghanistan are a part of ACB's Future Tours Programme. They are being treated as a home assignment for the ACB, which has made India a base for conducting games in recent years due to the volatile political situation in Afghanistan. The series will get underway on September 13, with the second T20I scheduled for September 15 and the third on September 17. All the three matches will be played at the Arun Jaitley Cricket Stadium here. Afghanistan most recently toured India for a three-match ODI series in June, and the two sides also played a three-match T20I series in January 2024.

India hosted Afghanistan for their historic first Test in 2018, and the two teams have since continued to engage regularly across formats. BCCI President Mithun Manhas said the Indian Board remains committed to supporting the growth of cricket in Afghanistan and providing its players opportunities to compete at the highest level. "Bilateral cricket is an important part of this, as it allows teams to play regularly against quality opposition and gain valuable experience. We welcome the Afghanistan Cricket Board to India for this series and look forward to working closely with them to make it a successful one," he said.

"We believe there is scope to do more together and will continue to support Afghanistan cricket while strengthening the relationship between the two cricketing nations." BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia said the India-Afghanistan cricketing rivalry has produced some thrilling encounters over the years, with both teams boasting of quality cricketers. "Afghanistan's players are also quite popular among fans in India, which is a reflection of the strong bond that has developed between the two cricketing nations.

"India hosting Afghanistan for their historic first Test in 2018 was another significant milestone in this journey, and since then, we have continued to see regular bilateral engagements between the two teams. Rohan Jaitley, the president of Delhi and District Cricket Association, which is hosting the matches, said the DDCA will provide the two teams the best possible facilities. ACB Chairman Mirwais Ashraf said the series holds great significance for Afghanistan cricket and represents another important step in the development of the longstanding relationship with the BCCI.

"Hosting India for a bilateral series in India is a significant milestone for us, and we highly value the cooperation and support of the BCCI in making this event possible," Ashraf said. "We are confident that the series will create valuable opportunities across commercial, technical, and cricketing areas, while adding a new dimension to our bilateral engagement. We look forward to a successful series and to further strengthening our partnership with the BCCI."

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