‘You’ll see a different Kaif now’

“I’m happy I’ve got a good start. I wanted to stay till the end yesterday, and did that. I want to be consistent. You’ll see a different Kaif now,” he said after shuttling from one TV camera to another.

Of course, Kaif’s 66 off 91 balls in the first one-dayer may have been patchy by his standards, with just three fours. But then, the last of those boundaries had sealed the first one-dayer for India with those final moments still buzzing on radio stations and taxi cabs across Kingston the day after.

“It wasn’t a worrying equation. The way their field was set, I knew there was a run every time the ball hit the bat. I wouldn’t have panicked even if it were to be down to the last ball. If you panic, you could miss a dot ball or get out,” he said.

After missing India’s last four ODIs, including the two at Abu Dhabi, Kaif knew he was back in the groove during his 49 in India’s practice match last week against Jamaica XI at Montego Bay near here. “That was crucial, I felt nice about the way ball hit the middle of the bat,” he said.

Nightmare over, it was also time for the 25-year-old from Allahabad to turn to his captain, thank him for the support during the 123-run fourth wicket stand and the rough patch before, “and to hear the captain tell you not to worry about dot balls, take time to settle, he prepared me,” he said.

Agreeing that his new, more open stance may not have been the ideal prescription for the slump, Kaif said, “You don’t think so much about your technique when you’re in form. All you do is watch the ball, everything else falls in place. When you’re not doing well, all these things come into your mind. “

And before signing off, Kaif had a word for fans in India where “cricket is more than a game”. “The criticism has to be healthy. There are times when some players won’t do well. That’s the time they need to be supported.”

–ajay.sshankarexpressindia.com