Kaif's recall a reward for his dedication

[Guest Hiten.]

By choosing Mohammad Kaif ahead of some of the younger batsmen who replaced him in the limited-overs sides, India's national selectors have sent out a positive message: that performances in domestic cricket, more importantly first-class cricket, do count after all, and that they look at Test cricket as a different discipline. The likes of Gautam Gambhir and Aakash Chopra, who have right to feel aggrieved after a prolific season, can now go out and score with the same vigour next season. :two_thumbs_up::two_thumbs_up: Although surprising at the first look, Kaif's selection actually is a logical move: the selectors put him ahead of Suresh Raina, Cheteshwar Pujara and S Badrinath [the other prolific middle-order batsmen this season], while the ODI middle order [Rohit Sharma and Robin Uthappa] has struggled badly in the four-day game this season. Rohit, whose performances for India in the CB Series earned him widespread praise, came in for sharp criticism when playing for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy this season. "If he's still in the mode of Twenty20 and one-day cricket, he needs to come out of it," Amol Muzumdar, the Mumbai captain, said after Mumbai were knocked out of the Ranji Trophy this season. "We are professionals here, it doesn't matter whether he has played for India. He is playing for Mumbai now and there is a responsibility to shoulder." Muzumdar's ire was not without reason: Rohit scored 191 runs in five matches, getting out seven times in the space of 294 deliveries. Kaif, who last played a Test in West Indies in 2006 - ironically the series in which he scored his only Test century in, has done himself no harm, though, by staying focused on his game. The biggest credit to him is his maniacal attitude towards his fitness; unlike some others who lose their fitness as soon as they fall out of the national scene, Kaif remains one of the fittest cricketers in Indian cricket, negating, at 27, the age factor. He has also altered his batting grip, which he says allows him to play more freely, something a strike-rate of close to 60 this season suggests. All that, of course, would be wasted if he hadn't scored the runs. Scored he has, and some quality runs at that. In the 2007-08 first-class season in India, he finished fourth on the list of run-getters, scoring 993 in 13 first-class games at 58.41, 687 of those coming in the Ranji Trophy. It must have helped that Dilip Vengsarkar, chairman of the selection committee, was present when he played one of the most important innings of the season, in the Ranji Trophy semi-final against Saurashtra. On a Vadodara wicket where nobody else looked like scoring runs, Kaif scored a 122-ball 80, countering the seam movement and counterattacking at the same time. The match finished in the first hour of the third morning, with UP, captained by Kaif, triumphing by 48 runs. Every time you go to a domestic game he is playing in, a cheery Kaif is sure to greet you with: 'What are you doing at this useless game, you should be at the India game?' Every time you stop short of answering: 'You know you value this a little more than that.' It is that dedication that has got him back into the squad Over close to two years out of the Indian team, Kaif has often expressed a gripe that he didn't know why he was dropped. Or why for a considerable period of time he didn't know which number he would bat at, as he told Cricinfo in this interview last January. Some will argue he got enough chances before he was dropped, but one can also see where Kaif is coming from: in the last seven ODI innings he played he batted at all positions between Nos 3 and 7. It must have been awfully easy to get distracted - there were rumours he was about to join the Indian Cricket League, which Kaif emphatically denied, but he has stuck on. While some of the other national players have found it tough to motivate themselves in the non-glamorous domestic game, Kaif has been one of the most determined. Every time you go to a domestic game he is playing in, a cheery Kaif is sure to greet you with: "What are you doing at this useless game, you should be at the India game?" Every time you stop short of answering: "You know you value this a little more than that." It is that dedication that has got him back into the squad. And he has a better idea of where he will fit in the frame after the Fab Four are gone. Sidharth Monga is a staff writer at Cricinfo © Cricinfo Brilliant Article and Brilliant decision by BCCI selectors

[Sourav Ganguly]

TFS, man. Brilliant decision from vengidiot.

[Kartikey]

Yep, Kaify's a team man with the right attitude unlike Yuvraj.

[DomainK]

He has worked hard for this. But somewhere I believe Gambhir deserved it more than Kaif.

[Parth]

Kaif has got one last chance of getting back into the Indian side, if he pulls something off in Ahmadabad, then kumble will have worries.

[sm332]

I doubt that Kaif will get a chance to play ... he has many admirable qualities but his talent quotient is so low that I dont think he is an answer for us long term ... Badri, GG deserved to get a nod ahead of him

[fineleg]

kaif's selection has ensured Yuvi will be in 11 for test2

[Ram]

I must say I am pleasantly surprised. This selection came out of the blue, atleast for me.

[Bumper]

This will be a make or break series for Yuvraj's test career. Success here would mean he will continue to figure in the test squad. Lack of big scores, will toss him into the wilderness for ever. I dont expect Kaif to play in the XI

[Dhondy]

Always been a diehard fan of Kaif and his fantastic attitude. If anybody deserves to play Test cricket, it's him. He was definitely hard done by last time around- dropped after a string of good performances, although he had succeeded where others had failed. He may not make it to the XI, but the selectors have made the right choice.

[WKmaster89]

I personally believe that Gambhir should have been given the chance to because he actually deserves a place in India XI in my opinion that is... But Kaif has worked hard in the domestic circuit especially leading his region to many victories and he is ideally a test player so its debatable. Akash Chopra is also a candidate that deserves the spot too.

[Gambit]

Poor guy did everything right against WI and England and still got dropped. Hope he gets to play at Motera.

[Dhondy]

I personally believe that Gambhir should have been given the chance to because he actually deserves a place in India XI in my opinion that is... But Kaif has worked hard in the domestic circuit especially leading his region to many victories and he is ideally a test player so its debatable. Akash Chopra is also a candidate that deserves the spot too.

How exactly would opener Gambhir be a pick to replace an injured middle order batsman?

[theguyinallblue]

we have played Yuvi in openings...have forced the world's best number 3 batsman to open the innigs.. sometimes i wonder...what has selectors and other men at the powers saw that i have failed to see ih him as a test batsman.... i saw how pathetic he was in australia...no application..no intent... still he found a place in 14... some one please give me an answer...its a riddle for me..

[Ram]

I couldnt help but notice the general sense of sympathy and support that prevails, atleast here, for Kaif. Its like everyone here is happy he is back. Looks like people havent forgotten him. And I always thought public memory is only as short as the life-time of an excited laser atom in metastable state.

[theguyinallblue]

actually people here will welcome any selection over Useless UV..in test matches..:D moreover few still remember how is was dropped from the side even though he was performing well in the matches he played..

[WKmaster89]

How exactly would opener Gambhir be a pick to replace an injured middle order batsman?

you could always shift the batting order but keep Viru and Jaffer for opening and comes Gambhir afterwards but I guess Kaif is good candidate to replace middle order batsman. But no Yuvi...

[Mr. Wicket]

How exactly would opener Gambhir be a pick to replace an injured middle order batsman?

Actually, I suspect Gambhir might be a better middle order bat than an opener. When I've watched him in domestic cricket (f/c), he's looked suspect against swing and the new ball from time to time - I remember Praveen Kumar making a fool of him in the 1st innings in the Ranji final. In the 2nd innings that game, he somehow survived Praveen and Tyagi's new ball spell. Looked shyte right through, played and missed a ton, then suddenly turned into a world class bat as soon as the spinners came on. Against the old ball, he's much more solid and he is one of the best players of spin I've seen in the country. I would put no money on him ever succeeding as a test opener, but I reckon he could be a good MO batsman particularly in the subcontinent. But I'm glad Kaif is in - would have taken him for the MO over anyone else in the country right now. My biggest fear was that the selectors would just go to one of the batsmen who had done well in the T20s or ODIs recently and pick Rohit (not ready, not by a long shot) or Gambhir. Glad f/c runs count for something still.

[Bumper]

Always been a diehard fan of Kaif and his fantastic attitude. If anybody deserves to play Test cricket, it's him. He was definitely hard done by last time around- dropped after a string of good performances, although he had succeeded where others had failed. He may not make it to the XI, but the selectors have made the right choice.

I believe Kaif is as cr@p as Yuvraj as a test bat. Both their numbers are similar. A few successes amidst a plethora of failures. I'd really like to see the likes of Rohit Sharma given a chance ahead of Gambhir & Kaif. I am almost certain that Yuvraj will get to play (as he seems to be the next in the pecking order). Dhoni's continuous flop as a batsman, concerns me. Its been a while since he's played a meaningful test knock. I'd like to see him put under a bit of pressure. Like Sehwag, 'hurt & insecurity' will bring the best out of Dhoni.

[Desi Cartman]

Mr UV will get a chance now and if he scores a 50 then I think he will be in test squad for next 6 test series.