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‘I would say Sourav Ganguly’: Former India star Kaif picks best captain, reveals ‘big comment’ from ex-BCCI chief
Mohammad Kaif named Sourav Ganguly as the best captain he played under and also revealed a ‘big comment’ from the former BCCI chief.
Considered to be one of the greatest fielders in cricket history, Mohammad Kaif shared the field with some legendary cricketers during his playing career. Kaif came under the limelight after captaining India to victory in the U-19 World Cup in 2000.
The 42-year-old is most famous for his role in India's win vs England in the 2022 NatWest Series final, where he helped Sourav Ganguly's side chase down 326 with an unbeaten knock of 87 runs off 75 balls. For his efforts in the match, he was also adjudged as the Man of the Match.
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Speaking on DD India, Kaif was asked to pick the best captain he played under and he quickly selected Ganguly. "I would say Sourav Ganguly. I remember he told me that I should go out there and give my best shot and that he is there to back me, he is there to support me. That's a big comment. As a young guy, if you have a captain like Sourav Ganguly, you get emboldened while playing for India," he said.
"Sourav Ganguly was amazing, he was fantastic. Captaincy means you need to be a leader - lead from the front, pick the right players and back them. Ganguly built the team," he further added.
Out of his 125 ODIs, Kaif played 83 under Ganguly's captaincy. During his playing career, Kaif featured in 13 Tests, scoring 624 runs, alongwith a century and three fifties. In 125 ODIs, he registered 2753 runs, with two tons and 17 half-centuries. Ganguly led India in 49 Tests and 146 ODIs, with a win percentage of 42.85 and 52.05 respectively.
During his captaincy, he led them to the 2002 Champions Trophy title along with joint-winners Sri Lanka and a runners-up finish in the 2003 World Cup. Ganguly registered 11363 runs in his ODI career which is the ninth highest for most runs scored in that format. He was also the third batter to cross 10,000 runs in ODIs, after Sachin Tendulkar and Inzamam Ul Haq, and also holds the record for the highest score in an innings (183) by an Indian batter in the ODI World Cup.
