Sourav Ganguly's Lords 2002 celebration 'showed his drive to make India win': Graeme Smith

Former India cricket captain Sourav Ganguly is one of the most celebrated cricketers in the country. The southpaw brought about a revolution in the Indian team and changed the way the game was played with his aggressive captaincy. Sourav Ganguly also captained India and reorganised the team after the match-fixing scandal in the 2000s, building a fearless brand of Indian cricket which transformed the game in the country. 

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'A beautiful sight', Graeme Smith on Sourav Ganguly's iconic celebration at Lord's

Under Sourav Ganguly, India became a force to be reckoned with and started winning overseas. Sourav Ganguly was an animated character on the field who never backed away from giving it back to the opponent. No one can forget Sourav Ganguly's iconic T-shirt waving celebration at Lords after India beat England in the Natwest 2002 final. Recently, former South Africa captain Graeme Smith spoke about Sourav Ganguly's celebration by saying that it showed the passion that the Bengal Tiger had for the game.

While speaking on Star Sports’ Cricket Connected, Graeme Smith said that everyone remembers that celebration and added that it was a beautiful sight to watch Sourav Ganguly celebrate like that. Graeme Smith reckoned that more than anything besides the humour of it all, it was the passion that he showed in celebration. Graeme Smith also said Ganguly's celebration showed how much India winning meant to him and to overcome the challenge of winning the Natwest Trophy in England, to win away from home and driving Indian cricket forward.

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On being asked if he was ever made to wait for the toss by Sourav Ganguly, just like he did with Steve Waugh, Graeme Smith said that such an incident never occurred with him. He added that there were one or two moments when both of them were at each other during their younger days. However, Graeme Smith pointed out that one would always get something back if he tried to poke ‘Dada’.

Natwest 2002 final: Team India completes 18 years of the famous win against England

The Natwest 2002 final between England and India was a watershed in the history of Indian cricket. The famous triumph that is etched in the minds of Indian cricket fans completed 18 years on Monday. Mohammad Kaif was the star of the Natwest 2002 final. Mohammad Kaif, who is known for his athletic fielding, is remembered for his famous match-winning knock in the Natwest 2002 final against Nasser Hussain's England at the iconic Lords' Cricket Ground.

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Mohammad Kaif had scored an unbeaten 87 in that contest and was adjudged Man of the Match for his stellar innings which helped India snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. He added 121 runs with Yuvraj Singh (69) for the sixth wicket when it seemed to be curtains down for the Sourav Ganguly-led side at 146/5. The duo then took matters into their own hands and smashed the English bowlers all around the park to help India register a famous win at the 'Mecca' of cricket.

What made the Natwest 2002 final win even more special was that prior to the contest, the Men In Blue were not regarded as good chasers and at the same time, had also lost nearly 6-7 ODI finals or big-match games as well. However, what had really stood out in the contest is that Hussain had sledged Mohammad Kaif when he had come out to bat by calling him a 'Bus Driver' when India were in no position to win the Natwest 2002 final. Nonetheless, the rest as they say his history as Mohammad Kaif made his bat do the talking.

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IMAGE COURTESY: INSTAGRAM: GRAEME SMITH/ TWITTER: ROOPESHKADAKKAL