July 13, 2002 is a date that is indelibly etched in the memory of Indian cricket fans.
An incredible win in the final of the NatWest Series at Lord’s, scripted by two unassuming youngsters in Mohammad Kaif and Yuvraj Singh, went down as one of the most famous wins in Indian cricketing history.
It also set into motion the long-term project built by the captain Sourav Ganguly and coach John Wright as the young players in the team went on to build a fine outfit that became world beaters for the next few years.
USUAL PROBLEMS
The Indian team came to play the 2002 NatWest Series final against England at Lord’s desperate to break a long-standing jinx; under Sourav Ganguly they had lost nine consecutive finals. There was a firm conviction that Dada‘s boys were on the right track but the time was ripe to make the transition.
But all their dreams seemed to have gone up in smoke as England, batting first after winning the toss, posted a huge total. The backbone of the English innings was a thumping 185-run stand between Marcus Trescothick and Nasser Hussain.
After losing Nick Knight early, Trescothick was in imperious form as he kept heaving and sweeping the Indian bowlers with disdain. Ganguly tried to stem the flow of runs by introducing spinners Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh, but to no avail.
At the other end skipper Nasser Hussain, who had been going through a woeful run of form, plodded his way to a shaky start and then worked his way back into form. The Indian captain used as many as seven bowlers including himself but none of them could provide that crucial breakthrough.
FREDDIE FLINTOFF COMES OUT SWINGING
Nasser Hussain celebrated animatedly on bringing up his century.
Trescothick brought up his century but perished soon after as Anil Kumble castled his stumps to provide India some reprieve. But England had by then raced to 227 of the 37th over and the all-rounder Andrew Flintoff came out swinging. Flintoff kept the run-rate high by scoring a quick fire 40 off 32 balls, hammering the Indian bowlers to all corners.
Michael Vaughan and Paul Collingwood, who came in after him, departed early but Hussain at the other end brought on a gritty, well-compiled century.
Angered by the constant criticism he had been getting, the English captain let off some steam by pointing to the No. 3 on the back of his shirt. The gesture, the famous three-fingered salute was targeted towards the commentators box at Bob Willis and Ian Botham, who had regularly questioned Hussain’s ability to bat at No. 3 for England.
Despite the late flurry of wickets, England managed to reach 325 in the end and the match seemed to be as good as over. Chasing a 300-plus total in ODIs was considered to be a near impossible feat back then. Add to that the fact that it was a big final and India had lost nine finals in a row, no one gave the visitors a chance.
GANGULY’S SELF BELIEF
As Alan Wilkins was wrapping up the mid-innings analysis, he told viewers that he had just managed to talk to Sourav Ganguly and he had said that India would win the match. The statement seemed to be nothing but pompous arrogance at that time but it came to epitomise the self-belief that Ganguly had instilled in his team in that era.
Out in the middle, Ganguly was as good as his word as he ensured India got off to a great start. He had been going through a lean patch but there were no signs of lack of confidence on his part on that big day.
The Indian skipper took the attack to the English bowlers, falling back on his favourite shot at that point of time. Dancing down the track, he gave the charge to the fast bowlers, cutting and slicing them through the point and cover regions to great effect.
One of his most memorable strokes was a lofted six over cover after having stepped out and used the pace of Flintoff belligerently.
The Bengal southpaw was so dominant that by the time he had brought on his half-century of 35 balls, Virender Sehwag was still stranded on 21. But not to be left behind, Sehwag soon joined in the fun, plundering the English attack. He soon milked Ronnie Irani for four boundaries in an over and India brought up an unbeaten opening stand of 100 runs within 15 overs.
INDIA STUMBLE
Alex Tudor bowled Ganguly in the 15th over and his dismissal set off a mini-collapse in the middle order. Sehwag soon too casually played an Ashley Giles’ delivery on to his stumps and Irani cheaply dismissed Dinesh Mongia and Rahul Dravid.
Sachin Tendulkar, batting at No. 4 in that series to lend some stability to the middle order, never looked comfortable in his new position. When Giles sent him back to the pavilion with his team tottering at 146 for 5, England had India on the mat.
So, as Mohammad Kaif walked out to join Yuvraj Singh in the middle, Nasser Hussain thought it would be a good time to sledge India’s No. 7.
Sehwag, Ganguly, Dravid, Mongia and Tendulkar were all back in the pavilion and England thought that the match was theirs by then. “Come on guys, they’ve sent the bus driver in. We’ve got a chance here,” quipped Hussain as Kaif walked past him.
A PARTNERSHIP TO REMEMBER
Yuvraj and Kaif were both finishers but they had a lot on their plate at that time. They played sensibly, mixing caution with aggression, and never let the required run-rate rise too much. Yuvraj seemed to be in form, playing some delightful strokes as Kaif played second fiddle to him.
Their 121-run partnership off 80 balls set the Indian chase back on track. But as Yuvraj was dismissed by Collingwood after having brought up a fine half-century, India still needed 59 off 50 balls. Kaif then took on the mantle, hitting some beautiful lofted shots and was willingly egged on by Harbhajan from the other end.
The duo took the score past the 300-run mark but Harbhajan departed soon after followed by Kumble with 314 on the board. India still needed 12 runs to win off 13 balls and had only two wickets in hand.
But the edged boundary by Kaif off the penultimate over bowled by Darren Gough brought the equation down to 2 runs required off 6 balls. With Kaif at the non-striker’s end, Zaheer Khan failed to score off the first two balls of the over, bowled by Flintoff.
But Zaheer managed to somehow fend off the third ball toward the cover region and set off for a quick single. A sigh at the stumps and an overthrow made them scamper through for the second run as India completed an incredible victory.
POST-MATCH CELEBRATIONS
The euphoria was palpable as Kaif and Zaheer broke into instant celebrations in the middle. But the most boisterous celebration came from the Indian team balcony as skipper Ganguly, in a retaliatory gesture to Flintoff’s celebration at the Wankhede earlier, took off his shirt and waved it above his head in a wild fashion. Dada‘s gesture would go down as one of the most iconic celebrations in Indian cricketing history.
Kaif of course did not forget to have a go at Nasser Hussain after the match. ‘Not bad for a bus driver‘ was his parting shot, his 87 off 75 balls a match-winning innings that has gone down in cricketing folklore. Amid all the newspapers that lavished praise on him the day after, The Statesman perhaps ran the most memorable headline: ‘India play a Lagaan at Lord’s as Mohammad Kaif plays an Amir Khan’.
With the glorious victory, the finals jinx was broken and the Indian team under Ganguly’s captaincy ascended to new heights. Most of the youngsters like Mohammad Kaif, Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag and Zaheer Khan went on to have stellar careers in the years to come as India started enjoying success overseas.
The Indian team also enjoyed a fine 2003 World Cup campaign playing some wonderful cricket but eventually losing out to Australia in the final.
