Mohammad Kaif, who is regarded as one of the best fielders throughout cricket history, played alongside some of the game’s greatest players. After leading India to win during the U-19 World Cup in 2000, Kaif gained a lot of attention.
The 42-year-old is most well-known for his contribution to India’s victory over England to win the 2022 NatWest Series championship, as he assisted Sourav Ganguly’s team in chasing down 326 runs with an unbroken innings of 87 runs off 75 balls. He was also named the Player of the Match for his performance in the game.
Ganguly built the team: Mohammed Kaif
Mohammed Kaif, while speaking to DD India, was asked to pick his favourite captain he had played under. He said, “I would say, Sourav Ganguly. I remember he told me that I should go out there and give my best shot and that he is there to back me, he is there to support me. That’s a big comment. As a young guy, if you have a captain like Sourav Ganguly, you get emboldened while playing for India.”
He further added how he was the best leader and captain he had played under. He also spoke about how the skipper had led the team as captain. He said, “Sourav Ganguly was amazing, he was fantastic. Captaincy means you need to be a leader – lead from the front, pick the right players and back them. Ganguly built the team.”
Kaif participated in 83 of the team’s 125 ODIs while Ganguly was the captain of the team. Kaif played in 13 Test matches throughout his playing career, totalling 624 runs, a century, and three fifty-pluses. He scored 2753 runs in 125 One-Day Internationals, including two tonnes and 17 half-centuries. With win percentages of 42.85 in 49 Test matches and 52.05 in 146 One-Day Internationals, Ganguly captained India.
Under Ganguly’s leadership, they shared the 2002 Champions Trophy championship with Sri Lanka and finished as runners-up in the 2003 World Cup. Ganguly finished his ODI career with 11363 runs, ranking eighth all-time in that category.
