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The 2002 Natwest Series remaining between India and England on July 13 at Lord’s is remembered for multiple causes. It was on today when captain Sourav Ganguly took off his shirt to rejoice India’s win. It was on today when Indian Cricket group, which was recognised by large names reminiscent of Sachin Tendulkar, Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag, discovered two new batting heroes to cheer for – Mohammad Kaif and Yuvraj Singh. And it was on today when India chased down a goal of 326 to beat Nasser Hussain-led England facet at Lord’s to win the trophy.
The modern-day followers would possibly see the goal of 326 as a straightforward one to chase down. But on the time, any rating past 300+ was thought of to be a mighty large job. Kaif and Yuvraj discovered themselves in the center after India had misplaced half their facet, and the duo went on to sew a 121-run partnership.
After Yuvraj fell for 69, Kaif carried on and took India to an exhilarating win. The batsman remained unbeaten on 87 in 75 balls, as India beat England by two wickets. In a column for The Indian Express, Kaif recalled the celebrations that he noticed in his hometown of Allahabad after he returned residence.
“Back residence in Allahabad, as soon as I returned, I couldn’t deal with the celebrations. I used to be a shy particular person however individuals stored coming to my residence. Mummy was serving tea snacks to everybody on a regular basis. The media consideration too was totally different.
“They would observe me in all places. I cherished to fly kites on the financial institution of the Yamuna and they might be there too, saying, ‘Look, Kaif ne aaj patang udayi (Kaif flew kites today!)”. Arre! I have been flying kites daily from childhood. It took me a while to understand all those reactions,” he recalled.
Also read: ‘If you poked Sourav Ganguly, you were going to get it back’: Graeme Smith on former India captain
“I remember another special image. When I returned home to Allahabad, I was put on an open-jeep procession. It took us nearly three-four hours to travel the five-six km to our home. People lined up on the roads. Garlands, chants, happy faces. When I was a kid, I had seen Amitabh Bachchan in an open jeep after he had won an election in my hometown. That day, I felt like Amitabh Bachchan,” the 35-year-old added.
Kaif additional stated that the win modified Indian cricket. “That win changed Indian cricket to an extent. It showed us we could chase big scores, it showed us we could win big finals – that’s one of the reasons Indian fans remember it a lot as this was a big tournament win at Lord’s after the 1983 World Cup final,” Kaif wrote.
“I remember the series in Pakistan later, where the scores were consistently over 300 but we were never fazed in the dressing room. There was a sense of calm and belief. That I think came after the Natwest Trophy win,” he added.
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