Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif relived his dream day on the 22nd anniversary of the famous Natwest series final vs England at Lord’s. Notably, on 13th July 2002, India scripted one of the most glorious chapters of their cricketing history by beating England in a thrilling final at the historic Lord’s Stadium by two wickets.
Kaif emerged as the hero of the game with his match-winning innings of 87* (75) where he smashed six fours and two sixes. It was the third half century of Kaif’s career who became a household name following his heroic knock. Reliving the historic day on its 22nd anniversary, Kaif called the final a ‘dream day’ which helped him get an identity of a billion fans.
“It’s that dream day when I got an identity and a billion fans. My captain decided to get rid of his T-shirt on the Lord’s balcony. Natwest final on July 13, 2002 – feels just like yesterday. What about you?,” wrote Kaif on his Instagram story.
The Natwest series final 2002 is counted among the greatest games to have been played in ODI cricket. After opting to bat first, England lost their opening batter Nick Knight early as Zaheer Khan (3/62) thrashed his stumps in the eighth over. However, captain Nasser Hussain (115 off 128) and Marcus Trescothick (109 off 100) brought their team back into the game with their massive 182-run stand off 177 balls.
Andrew Flintoff also scored 40 (32) to help his side reach a massive score of 325/5 in their allotted 50 overs. In reply, India got off to a great start with openers Virender Sehwag (45 off 49) and Sourav Ganguly (60 off 43) adding106 runs for the first wicket off 87 balls. However, following their partnership, India lost five wickets quickly and were left reeling at 146/5 in 24 overs.
Sourav Ganguly’s iconic shirtless celebration
From there on, youngsters Yuvraj Singh (69 off 63) and Kaif added 120 runs for the sixth wicket off 106 balls. England once again managed to claw their way back into the game by dismissing Yuvraj in the 42nd over with India still 59 runs away from a win. However, Kaif took the onus upon himself to guide the team home adding some crucial runs with the tail.
As a result, India completed the then-highest successful chase of 326 with two wickets left and three balls to spare. Kaif was deservedly awarded Player of the Match for his knock. India captain Sourav Ganguly was spotted taking his jersey off and swinging it wildly to celebrate the win on the Lord’s balcony.