Mohammad Kaif
About
One of the players to highlight the importance of fielding in the Indian National Team, Mohammad Kaif is an Indian middle-order batsman who was also one of the best fielders of his generation.
Born into a family of cricketers, Mohammad started his career as the captain of the Under-19 World Cup winning team in the year 2000 and in the same year debuted in Test matches at the age of 20.
Mohammad made his ODI debut against England in the NatWest Series in 2002, and he became a national hero overnight after scoring an unbeaten 87 runs off 75-balls in the final match.
He served as the captain of the Indian ODI team in the 2005-06 Challenger Trophy in the absence of regular captain Rahul Dravid.
He represented Rajasthan Royals in the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League in 2008 and they won.
Mohammad played for Kings XI Punjab in 2010 and Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2011 before finally retiring from IPL in 2012.
Later he joined Indian National Congress and contested the 2014 Lok Sabha election from Phulpur in Uttar Pradesh but lost.
In the IPL, Mohammad served as the assistant coach for Gujarat Lions in 2017, as fielding coach for Chennai Super Kings in 2018, and as an assistant coach for Delhi Capitals in 2019 and 2020.
Though he played only 13 Tests and 125 ODIs throughout his career, he is still largely famed as one of the most athletic all-rounders of all time. He is also one of the cricket analysts and a respected Hindi commentator.
Awards and Accomplishments
Awards and Accomplishments
- Mohammad won the ‘Man of the Match’ in the NatWest Series in 2002 against England.
- He won the ‘Man of the Series’ award in the 2004 ODI Series against Bangladesh.
- He has received ‘Man of the Match’ five times in his entire career.
- In the 2003 World Cup, he made a record of taking 4 catches in a single match as a non-wicketkeeper.
Why Mohammad Kaif ?
Mohammad Kaif’s career has been short but his contribution to Indian cricket can never be forgotten. He was part of an era under Ganguly that changed the face of Indian cricket forever. Be it the iconic win at NatWest Series or his electric reflexes during the fielding, Mohammad’s contribution to the Indian Cricket Team is notable. He is known for taking the ‘least-preferred’ department of fielding, to newer heights. Later he forayed into commentary during matches in India and is a well-known Hindi Commentator.
