Mohammad Kaif, India
Courtesy: Getty Images

Whenever you speak about Mohammad Kaif, you have to recall the memorable innings of 87 for India in the Natwest Trophy final of 2002 against England.

Well, every Indian supporter and a fan remembers the sensational victory at the iconic Lord’s 16 years ago. The two youngsters Mohammad Kaif and Yuvraj Singh staged a remarkable comeback for India after they were reduced to 146 for five while chasing a score of 326 runs.

Following the victory, the then Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly did the famous shirt waving celebration.

It was on the anniversary of that particular match this year that Kaif decided to call it quits from all forms of the game. He was one of the best fielders and is still arguably the best fielder India has ever seen.

Some of the catches he took during his career were simply exceptional and showed why he was rated so highly as a fielder.

During an exclusive interview with My Nation, Mohammad Kaif revealed that he was satisfied with how his career panned out. He feels that not many even get a chance to represent India in even a single international match.

“People dream of playing at least one international match and they can’t do it because of the population we have in India. There are so many people playing this sport. The competition is so high. Overall, I am happy with the way I finished my career. I did not play for long, but I was able to create moments which I will cherish throughout my life,” My Nation quoted Kaif as saying.

Mohammad Kaif, India
Mohammad Kaif recalls some of his memories with the Indian team. (Image Courtesy: Getty Images)

“Those moments reflect when I travel. People at airports, restaurants and other places greet me and talk about my fielding, catches, the Lord’s match (NatWest final), the tour of Pakistan in 2004, World Cup 2003, where I had that partnership with Sachin Tendulkar against Pakistan, and other things. It feels nice. I played less, but I was able to create moments,” Kaif said.

“It is no use playing for a long time and not being able to leave indelible marks on people’s minds. It is important to create memories in the minds of our fans. I was able to do that, and I am happy with that,” Kaif maintained.

Mohammad Kaif was also the captain of India Under-19 team when they lifted the World Cup back in 2000. The team also had the likes of Yuvraj Singh in the squad.

Kaif was asked how important are the age group tournaments for a youngster in shaping their careers.

“It is very important. When we played, there was not much exposure. Now, the BCCI has done a great job with Rahul Dravid as the coach of the Under-19 and India A teams. What else do you need? When we played, we won the maiden World Cup (youth) title in Sri Lanka in 2000,” Kaif remarked.

 

“It happened because we had some great talent. Now, it has gone to a different level. There are Under-16, Under-19 tournaments and zonal academies have also come up. The National Cricket Academy (NCA) has also done a great job. And at the same time, young players have responded well to the system. The BCCI has done a remarkable job for junior cricket,” he concluded.

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A Cricket Expert who loves revolving his life around the game. An extremely passionate music lover who loves singing and listening to Arijit Singh songs.