Former India player comes to team's defence as Hardik & Co trail 0-2 in T20I series vs West Indies

Ahead of the must-win 3rd T20I versus West Indies, former India player Mohd Kaif has come to the defence of Hardik Pandya & Co, asking fans to not judge the team on two losses.

Despite two series wins in Tests and ODIs against the Windies, India suffered a setback in the form of two consecutive losses in the 5-match T20I series.

Indian cricket fans and experts have not held back in criticising Team India for their poor show but Mohd Kaif believes it isn't concerning.

'I am seeing a lot of negative reaction after the two losses. But I will only say that our team is extremely competitive. I am not going to judge (India) on two back-to-back losses (in the West Indies). The only thing is that key players are missing.'

He went on to add that India's lead pacer Jasprit Bumrah has been out of action, who according to Kaif wins 50 per cent of the matches for the Indian team.

He concluded with an affirmative statement, 'I think if Bumrah is in the team and a few others like KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer also return, we have the players who can win the (World Cup) trophy.'

Jasprit Bumrah returns to the field on August 18 when he will lead India in a 3-match T20I series in Ireland.

Meanwhile, apart from updates, the BCCI has not specified a timeframe for Iyer and Rahul's return.