LUCKNOW, FEBRUARY 2 The sun was setting at the KD Singh Babu Stadium, the Ranji Trophy final was in its dying moments and there was a breathless, expectant hush around the ground. History was round the corner, Uttar Pradesh were about to lift their first ever Ranji title.

Suddenly, Mohammed Kaif swung into action. He raised his hands and made a clapping gesture, imploring the crowd to join in; this was a moment to celebrate, not watch in silence. The crowd responded immediately; it was the least they could do for their captain.

For Uttar Pradesh’s unlikely climb to the peak of domestic cricket—their first major step was winning the one-day tournament last season—would not have been possible without Kaif’s contributions, on the field and off it. Even in the final it was his second-innings century, crafted over six hours, that put the match beyond Bengal’s reach.

UP eventually won the match, and the grand old trophy, on the first-innings lead but don’t doubt their credentials: They came to the final from a tough group including Punjab and Hyderabad, and beat Mumbai—at the Wankhede—in the semis.

Through it all, Kaif kept his low-profile team together, passing on to them tips he’d gained from the Indian dressing room. He’s nurtured the talent, including new India cap Suresh Raina and promising leg-spinner Piyush Chawla, and inspired the old pros.

‘‘Before the final match, Kaif (who’s already won two World Cup finals, at the under-15 and under-19 levels) sat us down’’, says Chawla. ‘‘He gave us this piece of advice: ‘Don’t feel the pressure of playing in the final. Play your normal game, play on the positives of the last match.’ That’s what we followed, and it worked.’’

There’s another trick Kaif seems to have picked up from Team India: The virtues of playing as a team. ‘‘Kaif’s biggest contribution was not that he was the central figure’’, says fast bowler Shalabh Srivastav. ‘‘More important, he infused the idea of the team playing as a unit. He made sure every player thought as a unit, and worked as a unit. That was crucial.’’

His captaincy skills impressed even Bengal coach Paras Mhambrey. ‘‘I only saw him in one match but what I found impressive was his ability to keep everybody on their toes. He made sure the players were constantly alert and busy on the field. That was striking.’’

A perfect dress rehearsal for someone tipped to be a future India captain. Now, though, Kaif has an even more important task: Lift the morale of the Indian dressing-room, which he (and Raina) will be joining shortly for the one-day series. And he takes with him not just his livewire personality but a good run of form.

‘‘Definitely, the Pakistan series is on my mind. I have been following it. And this good run I’ve had over the last few matches in the domestic game will help me in Pakistan,’’ Kaif said after the day’s play.

Kaif had been rather controversially dropped from the Test team for this tour but, where others would have sulked, he simply got into form playing domestic cricket.