16 April,2009 08:40 AM IST | | Sanjjeev K Samyal
Kaif's game is more suited to the longer version of the game, feels his UP Ranji Trophy coach
Mohammad Kaif's best moments in cricket may have come in limited overs cricket, but Twenty20 cricket doesn't seems to be his cup of tea. That is the verdict of Indian Premier League champions Rajasthan Royals.
Kaif, who has been a hero of some of India's finest victories in one-day cricket like his match-winning innings in the 2002 NatWest Series final at Lord's, yesterday had a question mark put over his Twenty20 career when he was omitted from Rajasthan Royals squad for the 2009 Indian Premier League.
Kaif was Rajasthan Royals' most expensive buy at $675,000 during the first auction in 2008.
The Uttar Pradesh batsman's state team coach Gyanendra Pandey wasn't too surprised by Royals skipper Shane Warne's decision. "Last year Kaif had lot of chances to prove himself, he should have grabbed them," Pandey told MiD DAY yesterday.
Poor performance
Kaif played all 16 matches in Rajasthan's victorious campaign in the inaugural IPL but scored only 176 runs at an average of 16.
"Kaif is from our state so it is a sad to hear this.
"However, Warne is a very big player, and given his track record, the only criteron for selection would have been performance. Royals are the winning team and they want to play the best of their players." said Pandey.
The former UP all-rounder agreed that Kaif's game is more suited to the longer version of the sport.
"His technique is good for Test cricket. It is not so suitable for Twenty20 cricket," observed Pandey.u00a0
The other six Royals players who are returning to India are Dinesh Salunkhe, Paras Dogra, Anup Revandkar, Srideep Mangela, Ashraf Makda and Azhar Malik.
