“I played my first match here for the MP U-19 team against the Railways U-19 team. I remember we used to travel in ordinary compartments, and at times it was very difficult to get them reserved as well. The stands were there, but there were no dressing rooms. We used to sit under tents, right here (in front of the scoreboard). The ground was better. You can’t help as it’s a multipurpose ground. There were only two nets, now there are five,” he adds. The trail just gets deeper and deeper as Saif recalls another man who felt like home every time he came out play. “This was also my elder brother’s (Mohammad Asif) home ground. He’s also in Railways. He was a member of the Railways u-19 team,” adds Saif.

To continue the family connection to Railways, Syed Hyder Ali’s name crops up as well. The former Railways skipper (1963-64 to 1987-88), a contemporary of Mohammad Tarif, is believed to be a close relative of the Kaif family.