Make yourself difficult to ignore and your time will come
LEGEND WRITES Kaif tells his younger self to give 150% every time even if things aren’t going on expected lines
Dear 12-year-old Kaif,
Hundreds of miles away from home, I know you are lonely and homesick. But how could you have said no? After all, being selected by the Kanpur Sports Hostel is no small feat. For, this is the factory that has produced many cricketers who went on to play for Uttar Pradesh in Ranji Trophy.
Having made it here you should be spending each night dreaming of playing for the state and then, India. Instead, you will cry yourself to sleep. You will also be disillusioned because despite having been at the hostel for over two years, you will think you’ve barely made progress. Those who don’t seem very good will get more opportunities. They will bat longer in the nets while you perform ball boy duties. They will practice their drives. You will roll and water the pitch.
Practising at Green Park, an international stadium, was a dream. But now it will feel like a nightmare. You’re a shy kid and that will go against you.
But trust me, life will get better. And it will happen because you chose to make it so. Take control of your life. 100 per cent will not cut it here. Try 150%. When the coach at the hostel asks you to run 5km, run six. If he asks you to train for 40 minutes, train for 60! Make yourself hard to ignore. Your time will come.
One day, you will make an unbeaten 51 and take some unbelievable catches for the hostel team. And like magic, things will change for good. You will make it to the Uttar Pradesh U-16 team. The rest, as they say, will be history.
Now, you will understand the importance of those trying days at the hostel. They were preparing you for bigger battles where mental toughness matters. Your hours of toil will also pay off; you will set a new benchmark for fielding in India.
The under-19 World Cup glory will be around the corner and you will be India captain. From that team many will play for India but only you and Yuvraj Singh will make a mark.
That will be at the 2002 NatWest Trophy final against England. Set 326 to win, you will find the hopes of a nation resting on Yuvraj and you. You should be overwhelmed. You’re just 21 and Yuvi’s 20. But you two are made of sterner stuff.
When you scamper for that final run, it will be the first time India successfully chased 325 in ODIs. Each of your 87 unbeaten runs will be worth their weight in gold.
So, remember everything happens for a reason.