BANGALORE: It Takes Two! India A's Mohammad Kaif (left) and Robin Uthappa share a light moment at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore yesterday. pic/Vinod Kumar TEven before the India A vs Australia A three-day game began, Mohammad Kaif could be seen trying to adjust his stance.Methodically, he wanted his left shoulder to point towards mid-off so that it would open up shots on the off side for him. He was seen practicing for hours trying to get the shoulder in the right position.Two days agoFor the last two days, Kaif showed how much of a difference the change in stance has made to his batting. He was the only batsman on show from both sides, who was timing the ball sweetly and driving the cherry through the off side with comfortable ease.Gone are those jittery movements he would make before facing the bowlers that made him appear nervous and edgy.With rain affecting the first two days of the match, India A were finally bundled out for 284. In reply, Australia A were 113 for 8.Most batsmen struggled to adjust to the up and down nature of the wicket here at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, but Kaif made it look as though the pitch had no demons.Three bad shotsHe played only three bad shots in his 204-ball 94 and one of them resulted in his dismissal. While attempting to heave Marcus North for a six, he was caught at deep mid-on.With one more three-day game against Australia A to be followed by two four-day games against New Zealand A, if Kaif continues to bat the way he did here, chances are he could well be a contender for a place in the Test series against Australia.
Source: www.mid-day.com
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