Mohammad Kaif Wife: Pooja Yadav, Love Story and Family

“Twenty years ago, I played an inning that provided me with an identity, fame, and love for life.” This is what Mohammad Kaif mentioned in 2022 about the 87 not-out at Lord’s which no Indian who ever witnessed it would forget. Runs, fielding, jersey wave of Sourav Ganguly from Lord’s balcony, all belongs to 2002. But the lesser public affair that he built silently once the game got over was his family and personal affairs.

The wife of Mohammad Kaif is Pooja Yadav, who is now known as Pooja Kaif. She is an anchor, event host, and journalist from New Delhi. The lady met former Indian Cricketer Mohammad Kaif in 2007 and got married to him on 26 March 2011. It is to mention that their marriage is interfaith because Pooja Yadav is Hindu and Mohammad Kaif is Muslim. Their marriage is a matter of constant public interest in India apart from cricket. This article talks about everything about Pooja Kaif, their love story, family and what Mohammad Kaif is doing in 2026.

Mohammad Kaif Wife: Pooja Yadav Quick Facts

DETAIL	INFORMATION
Full name	Pooja Kaif (born Pooja Yadav)
Date of birth	21 April 1981
Birthplace	New Delhi, India
Father	Prem Yadav, an officer in the Indian Navy
Religion	Hindu
Profession	Journalist, television anchor, and event host. Previously worked in event management.
Husband	Mohammad Kaif, former India cricketer
Married	26 March 2011, Noida, in an intimate private ceremony
Years married (2026)	15 years as of 2026
Age difference	Kaif was born 1 December 1980, Pooja on 21 April 1981. Age gap of 4 months and 20 days.
Son	Kabir Kaif, born 2012. Shares his father’s love for cricket, reportedly accompanies him to morning practice.
Daughter	Eva Kaif, born 2017
Interfaith marriage	Yes. Pooja is Hindu, Kaif is Muslim. Widely cited as an example of interfaith partnership in Indian public life.

Who Is Pooja Yadav: The Woman Behind the Name

Pooja Yadav was born on 21 April 1981 in New Delhi. She comes from a family where her father, Prem Yadav, held the position of an officer in the Indian Navy, which meant the family moved around a lot due to his profession throughout Pooja’s childhood years. In such an environment, where discipline and service were key aspects, she developed into an individual, who in her adult years chose the profession of media and communications while at the same time showing quite some flexibility regarding balancing both a career and a prominent marriage without exploiting any of them for the sake of another.

She has chosen the path of journalism and events hosting in the process of which she went through event management and anchoring. Currently, she works in Noida. It can be said about her that throughout all media coverage, she shows herself to be a person who chooses to keep a low profile in comparison with the fame of her husband; in addition, she actively uses social networks, but not in order to share any details of her personal life, just like any other celebrity’s wife could do.

The Love Story: How Kaif and Pooja Met

Mohammad Kaif and Pooja Yadav met in 2007 through friends at a party. Pooja at this time was working in an event management firm. Mohammad Kaif was a renowned India cricketer and was at the time of NatWest final where he became the most popular face of Indian cricket despite being at the time in the middle of his not very successful second phase of international career.

It is reported that the two felt an instant connect. They started off as friends and gradually spent more time together and within four years they had formed a kind of relationship which could naturally lead only to marriage. The two were dating for four years before their marriage and therefore must have become close in the 2007 to 2011 period.

Interfaith nature of their union which includes the fact that Pooja is a Hindu and Kaif is a Muslim is the aspect of their relationship that has gotten maximum attention from various media sources talking about the couple’s love. Neither of them has made their interfaith marriage a political or social statement but both of them since 2011 have been quoted in articles on interfaith relationships in India as a couple who

The Wedding: March 26, 2011

The union between Mohammad Kaif and Pooja Yadav took place on 26th March 2011 in Noida. This was a small and private wedding attended by their close relatives and friends and not one which would become an open occasion like most weddings for cricketers of Mohammad Kaif’s stature could easily become. This is also in keeping with how both have led their personal lives since then in the past fifteen years – sufficiently in the public eye for it to get recorded but private enough for it to be their own affair.

March 2025 marked the 14th wedding anniversary of the couple and Kaif had noted the milestone on social media. This pattern of noting their wedding anniversaries every year indicates a long-lasting relationship of more than a decade that has been truly warm.

The Interfaith Marriage: What It Represents

The marriage between Kaif and Pooja, however, has gained prominence precisely because of the fact that it is a cross-religion one. In the political environment of India, where religion is one of the most polarizing factors when it comes to identity politics, the example of a Muslim man and a Hindu woman getting married after meeting each other at a party and dating for four years has provided a point of contrast against the notion of such marriages being exceptional.

There is no known instance of either of the two having publicly referred to the marriage in question as any kind of a statement or a display of courage on their part. In other words, the marriage has been seen as quite ordinary precisely because of the fact that neither Kaif nor Pooja seem to think much of it, not feeling the need to provide a public face to what could have easily become a story in a media environment which would be eager enough to give them that kind of a platform.

Family Life: Kabir, Eva, and Pooja’s Career

Kabir Kaif was born in 2012, being the only son of the couple and their first child ever. Kabir has been profiled in the media as having shown early interest in the sport and accompanying his father for morning practice, and in view of his father and grandfather – Mohammad Tarif who also played cricket professionally, he would be the third generation playing cricket in a genuine cricketing family.

The daughter Eva Kaif was born in 2017, five years later after Kabir, making it for Kaif and Pooja the family which makes them feel at home. After getting married, Pooja has taken time away from her professional career for bringing up their children, which looks like her deliberate decision rather than a coincidental one and which reflects a particular attitude to her private family life over professional activities that they and Kaif have chosen.

Since then, Pooja has come back partially to journalism and anchoring. She keeps herself active in social networks but does not build her content-based brand as several other prominent cricketers’ wives do. It is a consistent trait of her personality for all years of coverage.

Mohammad Kaif: The Cricketer and What He Does Now

Kabir Kaif was born in 2012, and he is the only son of the couple and their first child ever. Kabir was featured in the media as one having shown his interest in the sport from a young age, as well as following his father to practice early in the morning, and taking into account that his father and grandfather – Mohammad Tarif who also used to play cricket professionally, he would be the third generation of cricketers in this truly cricketing family.

The daughter Eva Kaif was born in 2017, five years after Kabir, and she is the member of the family that has made Pooja and Kaif feel at home. After having got married, Pooja took some time off her professional career in order to raise their children, and this was obviously her decision, rather than an accidental one. This behavior reflects her attitude towards her private life rather than her professional activity, which was chosen by Kaif and herself.

Since then, Pooja has returned to journalism and anchoring. She maintains her presence in social networks, but does not develop her content-related brand, unlike many other cricketers’ wives. This feature of her character is typical for all years

DETAIL	INFORMATION
Full name	Mohammad Kaif
Date of birth	1 December 1980
Birthplace	Allahabad (now Prayagraj), Uttar Pradesh, India
Batting style	Right-handed
ODIs	125 matches, 2,753 runs, average 32.02, highest score 111*
Tests	13 matches, 624 runs, average 32.84, highest score 148*
Defining innings	87* vs England, Natwest Series Final, Lord’s, July 2002
Under-19 captaincy	Captained India to ICC U19 World Cup title, 2000
IPL career	Rajasthan Royals (2008), Kings XI Punjab (2010), Royal Challengers Bangalore (2011)
Domestic captaincy	Uttar Pradesh (won 2016 Ranji Trophy); later captained Chhattisgarh
Retired from all cricket	2018
Current role (2026)	Fielding coach, Delhi Capitals (IPL); cricket commentator and analyst
Political career	Contested 2014 general election from Phoolpur, Uttar Pradesh (unsuccessful)

The 2002 NatWest Final: Why It Defines Everything

The whole public identity of Mohammad Kaif comes down to one afternoon in London. It was 13 July 2002 when India needed to chase 326 against England in Lord’s, in the NatWest Series final. With Kaif coming in at 146 for 5, it looked like an impossible task. The batting effort, however, that Kaif delivered during the remaining session of the game became one of the most complete efforts made under pressure by Indian limited-overs cricketers.

Kaif played with full understanding of what was demanded of him: he scored runs through singles and a few boundaries without trying to alter the course of the game through one big shot, he rebuilt the innings with Yuvraj Singh through 121 runs and he controlled the tail to take India home. The player was not out with an 87 score made off 75 balls. Ganguly took off his shirt on the Lord’s balcony as Flintoff did months ago in Mumbai. India won the game by two wickets.

Kaif talks about this innings every year, every anniversary of that day, in interviews and on social media: “It gave me everything.” This particular quote from Kaif, showing the fact that he received his public identity

The Innings That Gave Him Everything, and the Life He Built After

The wife of Mohammad Kaif, Pooja Yadav, first came into contact with him in 2007, married him in 2011, brought up two kids with him, campaigned with him for a failed election bid, and has been keeping the whole affair confidential over fifteen years of marriage which has become famous in itself precisely for the impression it has made on the outside world – that of two persons of different religions who had chosen each other at a party in 2007 and have chosen each other again every year since then. Cricket forms the backdrop, Lord’s innings the trademark, Delhi Capitals coaching the present. It is in the family in Noida, Kabir practicing with his father in the mornings, Eva rounding off the scene, that 87 not out was finally scored.

Frequently Asked Questions: Mohammad Kaif Wife

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