Kaif touches young bats

MOHD KAIF’S message –The Ranji Trophy win will boost youngsters’ confidence—seems to have generated quite a response.

“It was really a hurricane task for UP to get Bengal out. But, Kaif bhai made it possible,” says young cricketer Abid, who compares him with Jhonty.”

Sujal Tripathi, Tariq, Abhishek Segla, Puneet Singh and many more young trainees have taken Kaif’s words so seriously. “It’s a golden period of UP cricket as five State players i.e. Kaif, Suresh Raina, Rudra Pratap Singh, Ravikant Shukla and Piyush Chawla already donning the India colours at the senior and junior levels,” says Abhishek.

The presence of young cricketers inside the KD Singh ‘Babu’ Stadium during the finals already speaks the volumes.

“No training. We kept watching our heroes for five long days and learnt a lot,” says another young cricketer Muztaba Hasan. Besides trainees, some parents too accompanied their wards to watch Kaif & Co in the finals. “I am not an avid watcher of the game, but the victory of UP here has certainly encouraged me to back my son (Ritwik), who wants to make cricket his career,” says an employee of SBI Dinesh Mishra.

An enthusiastic mother Anjali Kumar says, “I will do everything to help my son (Sulabh) play like Kaif and Raina.”

Former Ranji Trophy cricketer Shahnawaj Bakhtiyar says: “I never wanted my sons to play cricket. But, now I change my opinion.”

“Both are well aware about the game and keep playing, but now they will put under the professional training,” added Shahnawaj, an employee in Estate Department.