Mohammed Kaif
Encyclopedia
Mohammad Kaif (born December 1, 1980) is an India
n cricketer. He is a thinly built cricketer who made it to the national team on the strength of his performances at the Under-19 level, where he captained the Indian team to victory in the Under-19 World Cup in 2000. He can be both defensive and aggressive, as variable strike rates in Test and ODI cricket suggest.He was the best Indian fielder at his time along with Yuvraj Singh at the covers.
, Uttar Pradesh
. His father Mohammad Tarif has played for Railways & Uttar Pradesh. His brother Mohammad Saif plays for Madhya Pradesh & Uttar Pradesh. Kaif married Pooja Kaif, a Noida
based journalist, on March 25, 2011.
Kaif has played for following major teams:
in Bangalore
soon after, and was selected in the first intake of the National Cricket Academy
in Bangalore
.
His early international career was considered patchy, with the occasional outstanding performance backed up by ordinary batting. His most famous feat was helping India chase down 326 with 87* (off 75 balls) in the 2002 NatWest Series
Final. The effort earned him his first Man of the Match
award. In the series against Bangladesh
in late 2004, he was named Man of the Series for his consistency in all the three ODIs. Kaif earned himself a Test cap against South Africa
when he was 20. Although dropped after some ordinary performances, he made a good comeback to the Test side against Australia
late in 2004 scoring two half-centuries. He is a very fast runner between the wickets and an excellent cover fielder; most notably his agility and throwing accuracy. He also has the world record of five catches in a World Cup match.
The team management tend to use him in the middle order, though his successes have almost always come playing high up - at number 3 rather than at number 7. He tends to score big when given the time to settle. His usual position in domestic games and in county cricket has been number 3. But given the number of players in that mold, such as Dravid, Raina and Yuvraj, Kaif found it difficult to play at the number 3 spot on a consistent basis. With the arrival of Greg Chappell
and Rahul Dravid being appointed captain, the number 3 slot was given to either Irfan Pathan
or Mahendra Singh Dhoni
to accelerate the scoring rate.
In March 2006, he was recalled to the Test team in place of the injured Yuvraj Singh
for the First Test against England in Nagpur
. Despite top-scoring with a dogged 91 to save the Test match, he was omitted for the following match when Yuvraj had recovered his fitness. But he found a place in the four Tests in the West Indies, after Sachin Tendulkar was injured. He hit 148 not out in the second Test, his maiden Test century.
As of July 2005, Kaif was one of only five cricketers from Uttar Pradesh to have made it to the national side. As of 2009, the Indian team is well represented by Uttar Pradesh with as many as three regulars, Suresh Raina, Praveen Kumar
and Rudra Pratap Singh
in the ODI team. He is the current captain of both Central Zone
and Uttar Pradesh
. He also captained the national ODI team in the 2005-06 Challenger Trophy in the absence of regular captain Rahul Dravid
.
In late 2006, he was dropped from the ODI team and Test squad in favour of Dinesh Karthik
. In April 2008, he was recalled to the Test squad for the Second Test against South Africa, but did not play.
in the inaugual edition of the Indian Premier League
in 2008. He was bought for $675,000USD. Even though he played in all the matches for the team, he had a poor run in the series, mustering only 176 runs at an average of 16. On 15 April 2009, he was axed by Rajasthan Royals team management, which cited his poor form and cost-cutting for the omission from the squad for the 2009 season.
Kaif was bought for $250,000USD by Kings XI Punjab
to play in 2010 Indian Premier League
.
Kaif was bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore
to play in 2011 Indian Premier League
, in the third round of bidding. He was the only player was requested to appear for bidding for the third time. Later in an interview, Sushanto Roy of Sahara Empire stated that he requested a third round of bidding because he thought that Kaif should find a place in an IPL team.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n cricketer. He is a thinly built cricketer who made it to the national team on the strength of his performances at the Under-19 level, where he captained the Indian team to victory in the Under-19 World Cup in 2000. He can be both defensive and aggressive, as variable strike rates in Test and ODI cricket suggest.He was the best Indian fielder at his time along with Yuvraj Singh at the covers.
Personal life
Mohammad Kaif was born on 1 December 1980 in AllahabadAllahabad
Allahabad , or Settled by God in Persian, is a major city of India and is one of the main holy cities of Hinduism. It was renamed by the Mughals from the ancient name of Prayaga , and is by some accounts the second-oldest city in India. It is located in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh,...
, Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
. His father Mohammad Tarif has played for Railways & Uttar Pradesh. His brother Mohammad Saif plays for Madhya Pradesh & Uttar Pradesh. Kaif married Pooja Kaif, a Noida
Noida
Noida , short for the New Okhla Industrial Development Area, is an area in India under the management of the New Okhla Industrial Development Authority . Noida came into administrative existence on 17 April 1976 and celebrates 17 April as "Noida Day". It was set up as part of an urbanization...
based journalist, on March 25, 2011.
Kaif has played for following major teams:
- India,
- Derbyshire,
- Gloucestershire,
- India Red,
- Leicestershire,
- Rajasthan Cricket Association President's XI,
- Rajasthan Royals,
- Uttar Pradesh
- Kings XI Punjab (IPL Season 3)
- Royal Challengers Bangalore (IPL 4)
International career
Kaif made his Test debut in 2000 against South AfricaSouth African cricket team
The South African national cricket team represent South Africa in international cricket. They are administrated by Cricket South Africa.South Africa is a full member of the International Cricket Council, also known as ICC, with Test and One Day International, or ODI, status...
in Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
soon after, and was selected in the first intake of the National Cricket Academy
National Cricket Academy
The National Cricket Academy located in Chinnaswamy Stadium Bangalore, Karnataka in India, established in 2000 is a cricket facility of the Board of Control for Cricket in India for training young cricketers who are identified as having the potential to represent the Indian cricket team...
in Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
.
His early international career was considered patchy, with the occasional outstanding performance backed up by ordinary batting. His most famous feat was helping India chase down 326 with 87* (off 75 balls) in the 2002 NatWest Series
NatWest Series
The NatWest Series is the name used for One Day International cricket tournaments held in England since 2000. The tournaments are sponsored by the National Westminster Bank.-2000 to 2005: triangular series:...
Final. The effort earned him his first Man of the Match
Man of the match
In sport, a Man of the Match or Player of the Game or Man of the Series award is given to the outstanding player, almost always the one who makes the most impact, in a particular match or series. The term was originally used more often in cricket before being adopted by other sports. This can be a...
award. In the series against Bangladesh
Bangladeshi cricket team
The Bangladesh national cricket team is a national cricket team representing Bangladesh. The team is administered by the Bangladesh Cricket Board . Bangladesh is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status...
in late 2004, he was named Man of the Series for his consistency in all the three ODIs. Kaif earned himself a Test cap against South Africa
South African cricket team
The South African national cricket team represent South Africa in international cricket. They are administrated by Cricket South Africa.South Africa is a full member of the International Cricket Council, also known as ICC, with Test and One Day International, or ODI, status...
when he was 20. Although dropped after some ordinary performances, he made a good comeback to the Test side against Australia
Australian cricket team
The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...
late in 2004 scoring two half-centuries. He is a very fast runner between the wickets and an excellent cover fielder; most notably his agility and throwing accuracy. He also has the world record of five catches in a World Cup match.
The team management tend to use him in the middle order, though his successes have almost always come playing high up - at number 3 rather than at number 7. He tends to score big when given the time to settle. His usual position in domestic games and in county cricket has been number 3. But given the number of players in that mold, such as Dravid, Raina and Yuvraj, Kaif found it difficult to play at the number 3 spot on a consistent basis. With the arrival of Greg Chappell
Greg Chappell
Gregory Stephen Chappell MBE is a former cricketer who captained Australia between 1975 and 1977 and then joined the breakaway World Series Cricket organisation, before returning to the Australian captaincy in 1979, a position he held until his retirement 1983...
and Rahul Dravid being appointed captain, the number 3 slot was given to either Irfan Pathan
Irfan Pathan
Irfan Pathan is an Indian cricketer who made his debut for India in late-2003 and was a core member of the national team until a decline in form set in during 2006, forcing him out of the team...
or Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Mahendra Singh Dhoni is an Indian cricketer and the current captain of the Indian national cricket team. He made his One Day International debut in December 2004 against Bangladesh, and a year later played his first Test, this time against Sri Lanka.Under his captaincy, India won the 2007 ICC...
to accelerate the scoring rate.
In March 2006, he was recalled to the Test team in place of the injured Yuvraj Singh
Yuvraj Singh
Yuvraj Singh Bhandal is an Indian cricketer, and the son of former Indian fast bowler and Punjabi movie star Yograj Singh. He has been a member of the Indian cricket team since 2000 and played his first Test match in 2003. He was the vice captain of the ODI team from late-2007 to late-2008...
for the First Test against England in Nagpur
Nagpur
Nāgpur is a city and winter capital of the state of Maharashtra, the largest city in central India and third largest city in Maharashtra after Mumbai and Pune...
. Despite top-scoring with a dogged 91 to save the Test match, he was omitted for the following match when Yuvraj had recovered his fitness. But he found a place in the four Tests in the West Indies, after Sachin Tendulkar was injured. He hit 148 not out in the second Test, his maiden Test century.
As of July 2005, Kaif was one of only five cricketers from Uttar Pradesh to have made it to the national side. As of 2009, the Indian team is well represented by Uttar Pradesh with as many as three regulars, Suresh Raina, Praveen Kumar
Praveen Kumar
Praveen Kumar is an Indian swing bowler who bowls medium pace. In first class cricket, he plays for Uttar Pradesh. He relies on his ability to swing the ball both ways along with line and length. He is most effective when given the new ball. Kumar is also considered as a pinch hitter with the bat...
and Rudra Pratap Singh
Rudra Pratap Singh
Rudra Pratap Singh Hindi:आर पी सिंह is a left arm fast-medium bowler who has represented India in one day cricket, T20 and Test cricket. He is playing for Kochi Tuskers Kerala for 2011 IPL.R.P...
in the ODI team. He is the current captain of both Central Zone
Central Zone cricket team
The Central Zone cricket team is a first-class cricket team that represents central India in the Duleep Trophy. It is a composite team of players from five first-class Indian teams from central India competing in the Ranji Trophy: Madhya Pradesh, Railways, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Vidarbha...
and Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh cricket team
The Uttar Pradesh cricket team is a cricket team which is based in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The team competes in the Ranji Trophy and won the tournament in 2005-06. They have only won 1 Ranji Trophy and have been runner-up twice. Young talents such as Mohammad Kaif, Suresh Raina, Piyush...
. He also captained the national ODI team in the 2005-06 Challenger Trophy in the absence of regular captain Rahul Dravid
Rahul Dravid
Rahul Sharad Dravid , is a cricketer in the Indian national team, of which he has been a regular member since 1996. He was appointed as the captain of the Indian cricket team in October 2005 and resigned from the post in September 2007. Dravid was honoured as one of the top-five Wisden Cricketers...
.
In late 2006, he was dropped from the ODI team and Test squad in favour of Dinesh Karthik
Dinesh Karthik
Krishna Kumar Dinesh Karthik is a wicketkeeper-batsman who has made his debut for the Indian cricket team in 2004 and has been a regular member of the team for varying periods since then, including a stint in 2007 as a specialist opening batsman and non-wicket-keeper...
. In April 2008, he was recalled to the Test squad for the Second Test against South Africa, but did not play.
Indian Premier League
Mohammad Kaif represented the victorious Rajasthan RoyalsRajasthan Royals
Rajasthan Royals is an Indian Premier League franchise based on the city of the Jaipur captained and coached by former Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne.They were the champions of the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League...
in the inaugual edition of the Indian Premier League
Indian Premier League
The Indian Premier League is a professional league for Twenty20 cricket competition in India. It was initiated by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , headquartered in Mumbai, and is supervised by BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla, who serves as the league's Chairman and Commissioner...
in 2008. He was bought for $675,000USD. Even though he played in all the matches for the team, he had a poor run in the series, mustering only 176 runs at an average of 16. On 15 April 2009, he was axed by Rajasthan Royals team management, which cited his poor form and cost-cutting for the omission from the squad for the 2009 season.
Kaif was bought for $250,000USD by Kings XI Punjab
Kings XI Punjab
Kings XI Punjab is a cricket franchise based in Mohali, Punjab in the Indian Premier League. For the IPL3, an additional venue has been chosen at Dharamsala.-Franchise History:...
to play in 2010 Indian Premier League
2010 Indian Premier League
The 2010 Indian Premier League season, abbreviated as IPL 3 or the 2010 IPL, was the third season of the Indian Premier League, established by the Board of Control for Cricket in India in 2007. The tournament was hosted by India and had an estimated television audience of more than 200 million...
.
Kaif was bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Royal Challengers Bangalore is a cricket team based in Bangalore that plays in the Indian Premier League and currently lead by Daniel Vettori. The team is owned by Dr...
to play in 2011 Indian Premier League
2011 Indian Premier League
The 2011 Indian Premier League season, abbreviated as IPL 4 or the IPL 2011, was the fourth season of the Indian Premier League, a professional league for Twenty20 cricket competition conceived by Lalit Modi in 2007. The tournament was hosted in India and the opening and closing ceremonies were...
, in the third round of bidding. He was the only player was requested to appear for bidding for the third time. Later in an interview, Sushanto Roy of Sahara Empire stated that he requested a third round of bidding because he thought that Kaif should find a place in an IPL team.