The team was set to play the final the next morning. However, despite a tense situation, Dada grilled a young Yuvraj Singh
India celebrates its 79th Independence Day in the ongoing month of August, and just like the country’s political, societal, and economic histories are important, so is the nation’s sporting history. After all, who would’ve thought that in merely 79 years, India would become a dominating nation in cricket – a game that England, India’s former coloniser, claims to have invented?
And what is better than India winning against England? Be it in cricket or any field.
As we celebrate the month of India’s independence, let us recall a dressing room moment from the NatWest series 2002 – the final of which India won against England on English soil at the iconic Lord’s stadium.
The NatWest 2000 series final was played between England and India on July 13. The evening before the final match, Sourav Ganguly went to Yuvraj Singh, who was still a newbie in the team, having made his debut in 2000. Ganguly asked Singh to open the next day in a stern voice, to which Yuvraj, being a rookie, said yes.
The entire night, Yuvraj Singh couldn’t sleep because he was tense about opening on English wickets. The next day, as the Indian team prepared to bat, Singh began padding up. Seeing young Yuvi, the entire team laughed at him. Dada went to Singh and said, “Mazaak kar raha tha main, 4 down aana” (I was kidding, come 4th down).”
Despite England having put on a mammoth score on the board, the Indian dugout shared a moment of laughter and light-heartedness.
The majority of the Indian cricket fans are well aware of what happened next. Ganguly and Virendra Sehwag gave India a good start, but the middle order collapsed to a point where India stood at 146 with five wickets gone. However, Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif put on a gallant batting show, scoring 69 and 87 runs, respectively. At the end, Zaheer Khan hit the winning runs when India needed two off four deliveries.
On the Lord’s balcony, all the Indian members celebrated, but it was Sourav Ganguly who made a statement by taking off his shirt and swinging it over his head – a reply to what Andrew Flintoff had done in 2002 at the Wankhede.
A few years ago, Ganguly had narrated how his uncle was there in the stadium and had left the ground after India’s collapse. Ganguly had revealed, “My uncle came to watch the game and said we will lose again. So he came out of the ground, took his car, and was on the A40 motorway home. Halfway down, about 20 minutes, he saw India get to 210 for 5, so he turned the car around and came back to Lord's. And India finished on the winning side, and he waited for me after the game. I didn't know about all this. He waited for me till 8.30pm because he was so happy,” as quoted by India Today.
The NatWest final in 2002 was one of India’s greatest ODI victories, especially against England, its former coloniser. And alongside the win, there are many unheard stories that strengthened the team’s bond, putting them on the path to becoming a dominant team in cricket history.
