NEW DELHI, Feb 3: India batsman Mohammad Kaif is hopeful his stellar effort in guiding his team to their maiden national title will fetch him a regular Test playing spot.

Kaif, 25, rallied Uttar Pradesh to their maiden Ranji Trophy on Thursday, top-scoring with 92 and 109 in the final against former champions Bengal.

The winners were declared on the basis of a first innings lead after the five-day match ended in a draw.

“It is a nice feeling, a reward for all the hardwork we put in,” Kaif said on Friday.

He will now join the squad in Pakistan for a five-match one-day series starting in Peshawar on Monday.

Although Kaif has been a vital one-day player in the last five years, he has mostly remained on the fringes of test selection in the presence of a middle-order full of established batsmen.

He has so far played only eight Tests since his debut as a talented teenager against South Africa in 2000.

Kaif felt there were few opportunities to impress in one-dayers because he batted down the order. In the Ranji Trophy, he came in at number 3.

“In one-dayers, the position I bat in, it is very difficult to score runs consistently,” he said. “Sometimes you get only a couple of overs.

“But I’ve performed consistently over four matches here. This has helped me send a message across to the selectors.”

Kaif’s superb diving catch in a one-day victory in Karachi is one of the most enduring images of India’s triumphant Test and one-day series in Pakistan two years ago.

Although India suffered a 341-run rout in the third and final Test in Karachi to lose the series 1-0, Kaif was upbeat.—Reuters