Anil Kumble believes Mohammad Kaif can add value to Indian Test team

Former Indian captain Anil Kumble feels that Mohammad Kaif can still be a valuable player in the longest version of the game. The Uttar Pradesh batsman played his last Test back in 2006 against South Africa in Bangalore.

He has been out of favour since then, and despite making plenty of effort at the domestic level, Kaif is yet to impress the national selectors. So far in his Test career, the right-handed batsman has played in 13 matches, scoring 624 runs at an average of
40.31 runs.

He has scored a ton and three half-centuries in Test cricket. His stats in the limited-over cricket are also quite impressive.

In his 125 One Day International (ODIs), the 31-year-old piled up 2753 runs at an average of 32.01 seconds. He has two centuries and 17 fifties to his credit.

Kaif has played many match-winning innings for India and after the exit of Rahul Dravid, Kumble believes that Kaif can add value to the Test team.

"I still believe he can add a lot of value to the Test team, especially with Rahul having retired and a few other seniors not far away from retirement," Kumble told
Wisdenindia.com in an interview.

"Kaif is only 31, and I believe it is the time when, as a batsman, you are nearing the peak of your powers. He has been consistent in domestic cricket, had a good last season, and he continues to be a brilliant fielder," Kumble added.

The former spinner described that Kaif has a great attitude, and can help the side in the longer run. He also explained that the veteran is a very good batsman and still has a lot to offer.

He stated, "As much as anything else, he has great attitude, so I don’t see why they should not look at him in the Test level. He has been there, done that in the Test match arena, he has the experience and the technique to do well as he has shown in the
past.”

“I can understand the selectors wanting to look ahead when it comes to the one-day game, but as far as Test cricket is concerned, Kaif is still a very good bat. He is solid, has good technique, so why not give him another go?."

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Posted by Rana Nasir Ghafoor on Jul 14 2012. Filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry