'You're not going to see players like him everyday': Kaif expects Dravid to look after India bowler with 'unique talent'

The upcoming series between India and Sri Lanka is Rahul Dravid's first official assignment with the senior men's team as head coach. With Ravi Shastri looking after the Test team in England, NCA chief Dravid was appointed to take charge of the limited-overs side. Dravid has a phenomenal coaching record, having led India to the Under-19 World Cup win in 2018, while India A have returned wonderful returns.

This time around, the youngsters in the team, most of whom have already worked under Dravid, will re-unite with their mentor as they gear up to present a case for themselves in India's T20 World Cup squad scheduled later this year.

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However, on one hand, if the youngsters are keen to work with Dravid, the experienced lot isn't too far behind. One of them is India wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who has been struggling to find form. Kuldeep, once a mainstay in India's limited-overs formats, has been sidelined to warm the bench for most of India's matches. In fact, since the 2019 World Cup, Kuldeep has played only a handful of matches and his IPL form has been on the decline as well.

Which is why Mohammad Kaif feels the series against Sri Lanka will be a true test for someone like Kuldeep, with the former India batsman backing the chinaman bowler to come good based on the fact that there aren't too many like him out there.

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"You are not going to see players like him every day, he has a unique talent. If you want such players to perform for you, then you need the senior players and captain to back them. So it's your (team management) responsibility to manage these kind of players well, and the player must also be mindful of their body language when backed by the think tank," Kaif said during a virtual media press conference organised by Sony Sports.

Kaif expressed concern over Kuldeep, believing he should be better looked after, something he feels Dravid can work on. "Sometime I get disappointed when I see Kuldeep not getting managed properly. Because as a Chinaman... he has a special quality, not everyone can bowl Chinaman. It’s a gift, I think Rahul Dravid will look after him in Sri Lanka," he explained.