TNT Sports:

Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif is among the 194 candidates who have been selected to contest in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections on a Congress ticket.

“I was born and brought up in Allahabad. I have played cricket in the streets of this city. People looked at me with pride when Iplayed for India. I am hopeful that they will support me,” Kaif told PTI.

Hailing from Allahabad, Kaif has been nominated from Uttar Pradesh’s Phulpur constituency. ”After cricket, politics is like a second innings for me. I hope to be as successful in politics as I was in cricket.”

Interestingly, it’s the same constituency from which India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru got elected.

When asked about his thoughts on retirement from professional cricket, Kaif insisted that he still has cricket left in him.

“I am in form now. I have played two good innings scoring 80 and 70 in Jaipur only a few days ago. People feel that politics is dirty. So I thought, I will enter politics and show people that work is also being done in politics,” he said.

Kaif had last represented India back in November 2006, and currently plays for the Uttar Pradesh Ranji cricket team.

Former Indian skipper Mohammad Azharuddin had also joined the Indian National Congress, and contested from the same state.

Sportskeeda.com

source: http://www.tntindia.com / TNT, the north east today / Home> TNT Anglian (Sports) / March 09th, 2014