“He was literally standing next to the bowler” - Mohammad Kaif on Abdul Razzaq dropping Sachin Tendulkar in the 2003 World Cup 

Former Indian batter Mohammad Kaif has admitted that their 2003 World Cup clash against Pakistan could have been much tighter had Abdul Razzaq taken a simple catch offered by Sachin Tendulkar at mid-off. He recalled that the fielder was standing closer to the bowler and not in the usual fielding position, which led him to misjudge the catch.

Chasing a challenging target of 274 in the Centurion match, India were in trouble at 57/2. Tendulkar, who was batting in his 30s, miscued the third ball of the seventh over from Wasim Akram towards mid-off. However, since Razzaq was not at the edge of the circle, the ball lobbed over him. Although the fielder got a hand on it, he couldn't hold on to it. The rest is history.

Speaking about the key moment in the iconic 2003 World Cup game, Kaif said during a discussion on Sportskeeda’s show, ‘SK Uncensored’:

“If Razzaq had taken Tendulkar’s catch at mid-off, the match could have been very tight. I remember Wasim Akram being miffed at him for standing so far up. He was literally standing next to the bowler instead of proper mid-off.”

Kaif (35) and Tendulkar (98) featured in a crucial third-wicket stand of 102 to put India on top in the chase.

Kaif admitted that there was a lot of pressure on him in the high-voltage clash but added that he was committed to providing solid support to Tendulkar out in the middle. On this, the 41-year-old said:

“Sachin was batting very well. My role was to support him and stay with him. I was told to build a partnership with Sachin and, if he is attacking, just stay there.”

Following Kaif's dismissal, Yuvraj Singh (50*) and Rahul Dravid (44*) also chipped in with useful contributions as India won the encounter by six wickets with 26 balls to spare.

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“All of us were dropped from the team” - Shoaib Akhtar on backlash after 2003 World Cup loss

Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar, meanwhile, admitted during the same discussion that there was a massive backlash in his country following the defeat, with a number of players getting dropped after that World Cup. He recalled:

“We came back to Islamabad and (almost) all of us were dropped from the team.”

Giving credit to India for batting well in the 2003 World Cup match, Akhtar concluded:

“I tried my best in that match but Sachin just batted so well. Kaif also did well, as did Dravid.”

Akhtar conceded 72 runs in his 10 overs in the game while Waqar Younis gave away 71 in 8.4 overs.