‘His electric fielding became benchmark’: VVS Laxman lauds Mohammad Kaif
On Thursday, Laxman lauded Mohammad Kaif, and said that the former middle-order batsman inspired a new generation of cricketers from the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
Former India batsman VVS Laxman has taken an initiative of giving tributes to his former teammates who he believes helped him shape up his career and his life. In a series of tweets, Laxman, in the past few days, praised Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni, Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, Anil Kumble, Zaheer Khan, Javagal Srinath, and Ashish Nehra.
On Thursday, Laxman lauded Mohammad Kaif, and said that the former middle-order batsman inspired a new generation of cricketers from the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
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Kaif, to this day, is remembered as one of the best fielders the team has ever produced. The UP batsman had the ability to stand inside the circle and take catches, cause run outs and dive around to save the crucial runs. Kaif, alongside Yuvraj Singh, brought an energy to the Indian cricket team on the field during the early 2000s.
In a tweet, Laxman wrote: “A product of India’s robust grassroots structure, @MohammadKaif inspired an entire generation of players from Uttar Pradesh to shed their insecurities and play at the highest level.
“His electric fielding soon became the benchmark that thousands strived to emulate,” he added.
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Kaif’s biggest contribution with the bat was in the Natwest Series final against England in 2002 at Lord’s. In a match that was seemingly heading in England’s favour, Kaif struck a 121-run partnership with Yuvraj for the 6th wicket. After the latter got out, the right-hander continued to bat on and took India to a thrilling two-wicket win.
Kaif remained unbeaten on 87 in 75 balls and his innings comprised of six fours and two sixes.