Kaif still hopeful of a comeback

Mohali:

Mohammad Kaif will complete his three years in the wilderness in November but the right-hander insists he is not a spent force yet and would return to the national team again.

The Uttar Pradesh batsman, once tipped a future India captain, has faded from public memory since playing the last of his 125 ODIs in November 2006 against South Africa in Port Elizabeth.

Kaif, however, seems to have retained his confidence and believes he has it in him to stage a fairytale comeback.

"I am working hard and maintaining my fitness levels. Moreover, there are a lot of tournaments these days and any player can make a comeback," a confident Kaif, who is representing Air India Blue in the BCCI Corporate Cup, told reporters on Wednesday.

Kaif, who represents Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League, said doing well in IPL could be the way to return to the national team.

"IPL is sort of a tournament from which a player can make a comeback. A number of players have made a comeback and some of my contemporaries have returned to Test cricket," he said.

Talking about IPL, Kaif said the Twenty20 format had changed the mindset of the players.

"The Twenty20 version of the game has changed the attitude of the players. Players now know that they can achieve short-term success by performing well in Twenty20," he said.