V.V.S. Laxman paid tribute to Mohammad Kaif, saying the former India player’s electric fielding was the benchmark thousands strived to emulate.
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. 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 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.
Recently Kaif said Ravindra Jadeja is right up there in the current team led by Virat Kohli as far as fielding is concerned. He also said the team lacks a complete fielder. Kaif’s stock rose during the 2002 NatWest series in England where his magnificent unbeaten 87 propelled India to a historic chase of 326 for victory in the final against England at Lord’s. Hailing from the cricketing backwater of Uttar Pradesh, Kaif played between 2000-2006 for India, featuring in 13 Tests and 125 ODIs.
