No real or reel: Kaif’s family misses final acts

‘‘We were there before the TV set but when Indian wickets fell at regular intervals, we were so upset that we decided to go for the movie because the target seemed impossible,’’ said Mohammed Tarif, himself a cricketer and the father of Kaif. ‘‘I am happy my son has done the nation proud,’’ added Kesarjehan, Kaif’s mother.

‘‘He was brilliant since the beginning and I was sure his reaching rare heights once he got the chance to display his talent. And his moment of reckoning came last night,’’ said Devesh Mishra, who coached Kaif in his formative years.

Incidentally, every male member in the Kaif family has a cricketing background. His father had represented UP in the Ranji Trophy while his elder brother Asif runs a cricket academy in Allahabad and his other brother, Saif is a member of the ONGC cricket team. But it is the youngest son who brought the ‘‘real honour’’ to the family that was evident with the Keetganj locality, where the family lives in Allahabad, going berserk last night. The bursting of crackers went on well past midnight.

Since making his debut for India, in 1999-2000 at Bangalore he has impressed one and all with his stylish strokeplay and steely temperament which has seen him perform well under pressure. His agility in fielding has brought rave reviews from the connoisseurs of the game. As skipper of the victorious India under-19 side in the World Cup in Sri Lanka in January 2000, Kaif proved himself to be a skillful captain.

Kaif, who came up through the ranks representing the under-19 team against Sri Lanka in 1999, turned out for India ‘A’ with success on the tour of West Indies the next year, earning praise from the then coach K Srikkanth. But it was his showing in the under-19 World Cup that brought him into national reckoning. He followed it up by two superb knocks of 90 and 93 in the Challenger Trophy Series at Ahmedabad — the performances that saw him edge close to earning the India cap.

Kaif did not exactly fail in his only Test against the rampaging South African side. But a stint at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore and a very useful trip to Adelaide for training at the Australian Cricket Academy played a major role in moulding him into a tough cricketer. The result was there for all to see as a series of high scores in the domestic circuit saw him get a berth into the Indian one-day side where his useful batting and athletic fielding have made him an indispensable member.