Published 16:10 IST, April 21st 2020
Mohammad Kaif recollects iconic 2002 Natwest final; reveals his 'heartbreaking' moment
During the live session with Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif revealed that he thought the match was gone when he got out and did not think that they could win
Widely regarded as one of the best ODIs ever in cricket, the 2002 Natwest Final ODI between India and England is one of the most memorable matches for Indian cricket fans. It was a memorable victory for Team India as well, as they stole victory from England's hands courtesy of a brilliant innings from Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif. Reminiscing over the match during an Instagram live session recently, Mohammad Kaif - one of the heroes - admitted that he thought they had lost the match when Yuvraj Singh got out.
During the live session with Yuvraj Singh recently, Mohammad Kaif revealed that he thought the match was gone when he got out and did not think that they could win as he had a 'comfort factor' with Yuvraj. He added that he believed that they could win since both of them were there but then Yuvraj got out and that 'broke his heart.'
Stitching a significant partnership of 121 runs when India had lost the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and skipper Sourav Ganguly early in the innings it was the duo of Kaif-Yuvraj that helped India make a comeback. Unfortunately, Yuvraj Singh could not finish the match for India as he got out at 69 but Kaif continued the show and took the Men in Blue across the line.
Ganguly's iconic celebration
After the infamous victory, it was skipper Sourav Ganguly's aggressive celebration that grabbed eyeballs making the victory even more historic. Ganguly had removed his shirt at the Lord's balcony to celebrate and eventually photographing the historic moment. The skipper had later revealed that he did it to level up England's Andrew Flintoff who had celebrated in a similar manner after England's victory in Mumbai during the previous tour.
Recently, Yuvraj Singh had revealed that not only Sourav Ganguly but even he had removed his jersey after winning the game but nobody noticed it. The all-rounder added that nobody could spot it since he was wearing another t-shirt beneath due to the cold in England, adding that nobody noticed it and thus he was saved.
Updated 17:39 IST, April 21st 2020