"Why do you talk about Rinku Singh and Tewatia?" - Mohammad Kaif slams Punjab Kings for retiring out Atharva Taide in IPL 2023 loss to Delhi Capitals

Mohammad Kaif has slammed the Punjab Kings (PBKS) for retiring out a well-set Atharva Taide in their IPL 2023 loss to the Delhi Capitals (DC).

The Capitals set a mammoth 214-run target for PBKS after being asked to bat first in Dharamsala on Wednesday, May 17. Taide then scored a 42-ball 55 as Shikhar Dhawan and Co. went on to lose the match by 15 runs to virtually bow out of the playoff race.

During a post-match discussion on Star Sports, Kaif was asked about his thoughts on Punjab Kings' call to retire out Taide. He criticized the decision while citing the examples of Rinku Singh and Rahul Tewatia, saying:

"Extremely poor decision to ask him to come out. Why do you talk about Rinku Singh and Tewatia? Rinku Singh was a run-a-ball at the start and Tewatia was on 13 off 21 balls. They hit five sixes after that."

The former Indian batter pointed out that Taide was complementing Liam Livingstone perfectly, elaborating:

"He (Taide) was scoring at a strike rate of 130 and was a set batter alongside Liam Livingstone. Livingstone was playing fast and he (Taide) was performing his role. He is an uncapped player who was hitting fours and sixes."

Taide struck five fours and two sixes during his 55-run knock. He strung together a 78-run third-wicket partnership with Livingstone (94 off 48) after PBKS lost their openers.

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"All of them came and got out" - Mohammad Kaif on the incoming Punjab Kings batters not firing

Sam Curran was bowled for a five-ball 11. [P/C: iplt20.com]

Mohammad Kaif highlighted that all the incoming Punjab Kings batters were dismissed cheaply, observing:

"He had gotten his eye in and you asked him to come out when it was the time to hit sixes. Very bad decision because who came after that - Jitesh Sharma, Shahrukh Khan and Sam Curran - all of them came and got out. If the decision had been good, I would have praised them."

The cricketer-turned-commentator concluded by pointing out that such a move has rarely yielded the desired results, stating:

"If you check the stats, whenever such a thing has been done that a set batter has been asked to come out, how many times has the new batter won the match? Show me the stats, I will concede defeat."

Irfan Pathan added that he would have agreed with the Punjab Kings' call if a batter like Livingstone had been waiting in the dugout. He reasoned that Taide might not have been as destructive as the England big hitter but pointed out that no such batter was available.