I will come back: Kaif

NEW DELHI, September 11: Sweating it out in practice sessions, seeking tips from seniors, finetuning technique -- Mohammad Kaif has tried everything and is now banking on divine intervention for a comeback into the Indian cricket team.
"Allah ne chaha to wapas aunga (God willing I will comeback)," Kaif said at the Ferozeshah Kotla on Tuesday.
Kaif leads India 'A' in a four-day match against South Africa 'A' starting here on Thursday and the cheeky Uttar Pradesh cricketer said though comeback remains on the back of his mind, he is not putting himself under any pressure.
"I have not set any goal or time-frame for a return. I'm just trying to relax and enjoy my game. Yes, a comeback is always there in my mind but you know there is a process for that. God willing, I'll be back to national team again," said Kaif, who played his last ODI against South Africa in November 2006.
Since then, Kaif has been working on his technique and doing everything else to ensure he returns as a better cricketer.
"The last 7-8 months allowed me to work on these areas. I sought technical help from a few people, including my father who also played this game at the Ranji level. Hope things would soon fall in place."
Asked if he had spoken to some of his former team-mates, Kaif said, "I'm not going to reveal the names."
Kaif's improvisation with the bat and his electric fielding could have been an asset for India in the World Twenty20 but he is in no mood to carp about his exclusion.
"Selection was not in my hand. You can do only things that are under your control. I have been asked to captain this India 'A' side and I'm pre-occupied with that only."
Shifting his attention to the match against the South African side, Kaif believes leading a side that includes the likes of Aakash Chopra, Suresh Raina, Parthiv Patel and Manoj Tiwary would make his job easier.
"I don't need to motivate my team-mates. Some of them have already played for India. Even the youngsters know that if they can push themselves and put up a good show, they can jump to the next level that is the Indian team."
He admitted the presence of Hashim Amla, Boeta Dippenaar and Ashwell Prince makes South Africa 'A' a formidable side but pointed out how his team dominated the twin tours of Zimbabwe and Kenya.
"They are a good side with a few from the national team. But we had excellent tours against full side Zimbabwe and Kenya teams."
"They would be tough to beat and I think we have a good challenge at hand."
The team would also benefit with Raina (knee) and Tiwary (shoulder) returning from injuries, Kaif added.
South African 'A' captain Boeta Dippenaar, however, insisted that more than the outcome, his team was considering it as an exposure trip to get an idea about the conditions here.
"Some of the guys are coming here for the first time and they would learn what it takes to succeed in these conditions. After all, most of the matches are taking place in the sub-continent these days," he quipped.
"We are here to learn and the results would take care of itself."
Dippenaar said facing the Indian spinners on hostile conditions would be a real learning curve for his side.
"When India plays in South Africa, they struggle against the short deliveries and similarly, we need to learn how to play Indian spinners in Indian conditions. And we need to learn it as fast as possible."