"Life gave me much more than I expected" - Mohammad Kaif
Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif went down memory lane on Thursday to reminisce about some of the magical moments of his career.
The former Indian middle-order batter posted pictures of the U-15 And U-19 World Cup triumphs from 1996 and 2000, respectively. He also recalled the 2003 World Cup where the Indian men's team finished runners-up. Mohammad Kaif wrote:
"There was a time when we were young, we had dreams. 1996 u15 World Cup winner, 2000 u19 World Cup champion, 2003 Sr World Cup runners up. Life gave me much more than I expected. #DreamBig."
There was a time when we were young, we had dreams. 1996 u15 World Cup winner, 2000 u19 World Cup champion, 2003 Sr World Cup runners up. Life gave me much more than I expected. #DreamBig https://t.co/V3DNbRPrTW
Kaif was a part of the Indian side that won the U-15 Youth World Cup back in 1996. The side consisted of future international cricketers like Reetinder Singh Sodhi. India won the title by beating arch-rivals Pakistan in the final. Needing 223 to win the summit clash, Sodhi led the way for the Indian Colts with an unbeaten 82.
Mohammad Kaif is India's first U19 World Cup-winning captain
Four years later, Kaif once again shot into the limelight as he led Team India to their maiden U-19 World Cup title. The Men in Blue defeated Sri Lanka in the summit clash in Colombo after they successfully chased down 178 in just 40.4 overs.
Apart from Kaif, the squad also included Yuvraj Singh, who went on to become one of the greatest-ever match-winners for Team India in white-ball cricket in a decade that followed.
Both Kaif and Yuvraj made their international debuts in the same year. During the course of the next 5-6 years, the duo proceeded to become the heartbeat of the ODI team.
Apart from revolutionizing the Indian fielding, the duo established themselves as match-winning middle-order batters, leading their side to countless victories from difficult situations.
Fifty plus while batting at number seven or below in a successful run chase by Indian in SENA (men's ODI)
87 : M Kaif v ENG at Lord's ,2002 (Natwest Final)
59 : YK Pathan v SA at Cape Town, 2011 (3rd ODI)
#SAvIND #INDvSA #Cricket https://t.co/hMLkMc8UL3
Their biggest performance as a duo came during the 2002 Natwest Trophy final against England at the Home of Cricket, Lord's. Needing 326 to win, India looked down and out at 146/5 before Yuvi and Kaif led a stunning revival.
While Yuvraj was dismissed after a well-compiled half-century, Mohammad Kaif ensured he stayed until the end to lead India to one of their greatest-ever ODI triumphs.
Kaif continued to be an integral part of the ODI setup until 2006.