India Crossed the NatWest Line
The stage was all set for the final of the NatWest series at Lord’s on July 13, 2002. It was a big occasion for both England and India. The atmosphere was electrifying. The Indian skipper was hoping to turn the table as they lost the previous 3 to 4 finals and Team India was determined to do well at Lord’s. The toss was crucial and both Nasser and Sourav (Read here spooky story of Sourav) wanted to win the toss and elected to bat first. However, India lost the toss.
England Innings:
The condition was favorable for batsmen and England players took full advantage of it. They posted a massive 325 runs on the board. Thanks to Nasser Hussain’s maiden century and a brilliant 109 knock by Trescothick, England was in a commanding position.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Soup & Salad:
The Indian team was disappointed during the innings break. They wanted to restrict England below 250 runs, but England’s top orders played exceptionally well and posted above par score. Sourav asked Sehwag to start cautiously and protected the wicket for the first 10 -15 overs.
The Opening Stand:
India got a flying start. Sourav and Sehwag had an opening partnership of 106 runs before Sourav got out at 60. Soon Sehwag also fell at 45. India lost two quick wickets and struggled at 114/2.
House of Cards:
India lost three more wickets in quick succession. Sachin’s (Read here the debut story of Sachin) wicket was the most crucial one. The opposition knew, if they got Sachin’s wicket then half the battle was won. Ashley Giles bowled brilliantly and Sachin fell into a trap. England sniffed the victory and they were jubilant. Many Indian supporters left the stadium including Sourav’s uncle who came to watch the match at Lord’s. India was 146/5 and inches away from another comprehensive defeat in the final. Well, back in India the situation was the same. Most of the viewers switched off the television including Kaif’s parents and they went for a movie. Mohammad Kaif was the last specialist batsman for India. While crossing the long room of Lord’s, he was uncomfortable as all the members were looking at him. However, he gathered confidence somehow and proceeded for batting.
Prince, Kaif:
Kaif came to crease and joined Yuvraj. He said to Yuvi “let’s play” and started to build the partnership.
Message from the Dressing Room:
Sourav had more trust in the hitting ability of Yuvraj and he instructed Kaif to give more strikes to Yuvraj. Kaif soon hit a six and silenced the dressing room. No more messages were passed from the dressing room and no one moved from their seats either. Rahul Dravid watched the entire match from the physio table out of superstition. Yuvi and Kaif had a brilliant partnership of 121 runs before Yuvi got out at 69. However, Kaif remained unbeaten at 87 and helped India to cross the line.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Whirl:
Early in the same year, England beat India at Wankhede Stadium and drew the bilateral series. Flintoff celebrated the victory by taking his shirt off. The moment left a mark on Ganguly’s subconscious. The NatWest victory gave him a chance to take sweet revenge and he replicated Flintoff’s Wankhede action at Lord’s balcony. Laxman was utterly embarrassed and tried to pull down Ganguly’s shirt but couldn’t restrain him. Harbhajan too was motivated by Sourav’s action and he asked Dravid if he could do the same. Dravid didn’t allow it.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Paradigm Shift:
India was never known for a good chaser. The NatWest trophy win gave the required confidence to the team India to chase down the big target also. It was a game-changing moment in Indian ODI cricket history.
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Featured Image Credit: Nicolas Tissot – unsplash (resized as per the need)