'Will create reason to get picked'

Mohammad Kaif has utilised his time out well by leading his state side to its second Ranji Trophy final in three years. The 2005-06 title winning skipper talks to Nihal Koshie about the Uttar Pradesh journey that will culminate with the final against Delhi in Mumbai, his resolve to play for India again and how staying relaxed has helped him get back into the groove.

Excerpts…

At the beginning of the season did you think Uttar Pradesh would get this far?
Our team’s biggest asset for a while is having young players, rookies, who quickly pick up the nuances of the game and perform at the crucial stages when the team needs them the most.

At the start, I was confident of our batting, but it was the bowling combination that we had to get right. After Ashish Winston Zaidi retired, we didn’t have Salabh Srivastava and RP Singh is playing for India.

However, against the crucial game against Bengal, when we were staring at relegation, we played five bowlers and a batsman less and that worked for us. Now, I know we can play under pressure and we know our strengths.

Rookie Sudeep Tyagi has 39  wickets and 10 wickets on debut…

Like I said, there is a trend prevalent in the UP team that youngsters come in and perform straightaway. Take the case of RP Singh who was quickly picked to play for the country.

We may not have world-class facilities, but we have support staff and players who are hungry. Sudeep, like RP was, is inexperienced with just two U-22 games under his belt when he came into the team. But he has picked up the ropes really quickly and is one of the leading wicket-takers.

Even in 2005-06 when you led Uttar Pradesh to their maiden title the team had started their campaign poorly…

That year we began slowly and this year too we took time to get into the groove. Now, we have players who have the momentum going for them. I can’t see any other reason, why we will not play well against Delhi and win the title again.

We have performed under pressure when it mattered the most and I am confident we will do it again. We delivered in crunch situations against Bengal, Hyderabad and Saurashtra and that has given our side a lot of confidence. More importantly, this season has been a great learning experience, even for me.

And now you are a match away from the title…

It will be very special for all the players if we win the title again. We have worked  hard and it was tough for us as we lost some players, courtesy retirements (Shalabh Srivastava joined ICL).

But we have kept the faith and it has paid dividends. In 73 years, we have won only one Ranji Trophy title. So if we win again, it would be a great boost to our spirit. People have a tendency to think that our first title win was a fluke, but by winning it we will prove that we are better than the rest.

You have been doing a lot of  captaincy since been left out of the senior team…
 
I have led many teams before and it is something I have done from the junior cricket level. I have led the India A team and in the Challenger trophy and Uttar Pradesh and it feels nice that people believe in me and have given me the responsibility.

My philosophy while leading a side is very simple. Relax, lead from the front and let my bat do the talking. The rest automatically falls into place.

What is your style of captaincy?

Actually, I have not thought about it (laughs). But I have always been lucky to have players in my team — be it U-16, U-19, the Junior World Cup and Uttar Pradesh — who can do the job asked of them.

Leading the state team for a while now has been an experience that will hold me in good stead and it is a responsibility I thoroughly enjoy.

What has the first class experience, especially since you are away from the Indian team, taught you?

I have learnt a lot about my game and have worked on my game. Sometimes when you play regularly at the international level you don’t get the time to assess yourself.

Not being part of the Indian team is not an ideal situation but it has given me time to stand back and rework my batting technique. For example, I have adopted a grip that has helped me hit the ball more powerfully.

I don’t remember scoring so many runs in a first class season (laughs). One of my goals this season was to be consistent.

When I play a game I just relax. I don’t think about it being a big match and that I am the skipper and the selectors are watching. I just relax and that has made a big difference and it has allowed me to spend more time at the wicket.

It must be difficult coming back to Ranji Trophy when most of your teammates are playing for India…

Well, it is part and parcel of the game. The last two seasons have helped me rediscover myself. Sometimes you don’t know why you are dropped, but I can assure you that I will create a reason to be picked again to the Indian team and play for the country again.