Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif announces retirement from professional cricket

Mohammad Kaif last played an international match for the Indian cricket team back in 2006, however, he was actively playing domestic cricket. In the Ranji Trophy 2017-18, he led the Chhattisgarh team in an attempt to mentor the youngsters as the team is really young in the domestic circuit. However, Kaif has now decided to retire from all forms of professional and competitive cricket with immediate effect.

The 37-year-old announced the decision today as he wrote a letter to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) addressed to the acting president CK Khanna and acting secretary Amitabh Chaudhary where he mentioned that “I’m writing to you today to announce my retirement from all forms of first-class cricket.”

Grateful for the opportunities

He is popularly remembered for his heroic knock in the NatWest series final 2002 where Kaif along with Yuvraj Singh steered the Indian team home in an improbable chase. They were set a target of 326 runs and after the big names got out, two young and rather inexperienced batsmen were left with the huge task.

“I am retiring today as it’s been 16 years since the historic NatWest Trophy win in which I was glad to play my part, and I’d like to remember that as I bow out,” he wrote.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to have worn the India cap, and to have gone on to play 125 ODIs and 13 Tests for India, and for several other moments,” Kaif added.

Kaif in his career represented the Indian team in 125 ODIs and 13 Test matches, the middle order batsman was more popular for his fielding abilities. He scored 2753 runs runs in 50-overs cricket at an average of 32 and 624 runs in Test cricket with a pretty similar average.

In the recent past the UP man has been associated in various capacities at various levels while he was the batting coach of the Gujarat Lions franchise in the 2015 and 2016 seasons of the IPL, he took up the role as a commentator in IPL 2018 and often is a part of the Hindi experts panel during Team India’s tours.

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