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The final of the 2002 NatWest Trophy is a moment etched in the folklore of Indian cricket for various reasons. A solitary One-Day International with so many moments and sub-plots woven together created one of the most iconic matches that the sport has ever seen. A young and spirited India side, led by the spunky southpaw Sourav Ganguly, took on a dominant England in a packed cauldron that was Lord’s, with records not in their favour. Of the nine series finals India had played since 1999, they had lost eight, with the ninth one being abandoned.
Electing to bat, England piled on misery early with centuries from Marcus Trescothick and skipper Nasser Hussain. The pair put on a mammoth 182-run stand for the second wicket. Hussain was the star of the show, scoring 115 off 128 balls in a knock laced with ten fours. He celebrated by pointing his helmet towards the number 3 on his back, facing the press box in response to journalists who questioned his ability to bat at one-drop. The ever-attacking Treskithic scored a 100-ball 109, setting the tone at the top of the order. Andrew Flintoff scored a 32-ball 40 to add runs in the back end, taking the Three Lions to a score of 325 for 5.
India were under the pump early, having never chased down a 300-plus score outside Asia. With history beckoning, rollicking openers Virender Sehwag and Ganguly got the team off to a flying start, stitching a 106-run stand off just 82 balls. Ganguly fell for 60, which saw a procession follow as India were reduced to 146 for 5 in the 24th over. Mavericks Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid were back in the shed early, leaving India with much less than even a glimmer of hope.
Youngsters Yuvraj Singh and Mohammed Kaif, fresh off Under-19 success, came together in the middle and took the game on with a fearless attitude that would define Indian cricket for the years to come. The pair put on a 120-run partnership off 106 balls to stabilise India’s chase. Yuvraj fell for 69, with India needing 59 runs to win in the final 8.2 overs. Kaif was joined by Harbhajan singh as the pair put on a 47-run stand to inch India closer. Harbhajan and Kumble fell with India needing 12 runs off 13 balls and England needing two wickets. Kaif’s edged boundary off the final over of the penultimate over meant India needed just two runs to seal a historic victory, which was sealed as Zaheer Khan and Kaif scampered for a double on overthrows.
What followed is the image that is forever etched in fans’ memories. The caricature of Ganguly waving his shirt atop the Lord’s balcony, in response to Flintoff taking his shirt off after levelling the six-match ODI series between these two teams after being 3-1 down in Mumbai. Ganguly’s gesture, in symbolic fashion, iterated further that this new, young India was not afraid of any challenge, ready to face obstacles head-on.
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