Crisis reveals Mohammad Kaif’s character

By John Cheeran
When each crisis blows out itself, there might be some plus points if you take a close look at the debris.
India’s middle order crisis in Nagpur was such a one.
With his back to the pavilion, Mohammad Kaif authored Team India’s revival in the company of Anil Kumble.
Kaif has been the eternal replacement man for India in Tests.
It is no secret that Sourav Ganguly fucked up Kaif’s Test career for a long, long time.
A middle order batsman in the classical mould, Kaif’s measured approach to cricket should have earned him a regular place in Tests long ago.
In the past as and when a slot opened up in the middle order it was gobbled up by Yuvraj Singh.
In Nagpur, Kaif got his chance only when Yuvraj Singh pulled a hamstring. A crisis?
Definitely, an opportunity for Kaif.
There was indignation in Calcutta, and elsewhere in Sunil Gavaskar’s syndicated columns, that instead of Kaif, skipper Rahul Dravid should have chosen Sourav Ganguly, someone out of touch with contemporary cricket.
Dravid did not budge and Kaif has grabbed his chance with both hands.
Well, a maiden Test century has eluded Kaif by nine runs. But in my book, his 91 at Nagpur is rated much, much higher than a double century hit when the contest is dead and buried.
Kaif outlasted an hour that saw the dismissals of masters like Dravid, Tendulkar and VVS Laxman; and rages of the season such as Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Irafan Pathan.
Kaif is not flamboyant. He is a grafter. But remember that he is considered the ideal one-day batsman, a rotator par excellence of striker and an athletic fielder.
The only gripe I have with Kaif is that he did not think it fit to step up the scoring, even when he reached 70s. And in the process an ordinary and overworked left-arm spinner such as Monty Panesar was allowed to look like a good bowler.
A few bold hits when the Indian innings was steadied would have fetched Kaif his century and an overall release from the pressure cooker situation. It would have even made batting look simpler.
But then I was not in the middle, Kaif was. After all, everyone has his own style.
May be Kaif wanted a century so much in Nagpur, considering the amount of pressure that was on him to perform here in the backdrop of his string of single digit scores in recent one-day internationals.
A confident Kaif, I’m sure, would have chanced his arms and put England bowling to the sword.
I’m eager for India’s and Kaif’s second innings.