Published 12:27 IST, July 13th 2020
Relive Mohammad Kaif's unbeaten 87 during famous Natwest final on July 13, 2002: Watch
On this day in 2002, Mohammad Kaif scored an unbeaten 87 to guide India to an iconic victory in the 2002 Natwest final against England at Lord's.
The Indian cricket team has been part of several iconic matches. However, the 2002 Natwest tri-series final victory is remembered for a variety of reasons. The historic victory at Lord’s is fondly remembered for the unforgettable Sourav Ganguly Natwest 2002 final celebration. But the main reason the match is remembered is because of the match-winning partnership between Mohammad Kaif and Yuvraj Singh.
How the 2002 Natwest tri-series final played out
Before the Sourav Ganguly 2002 Natwest final shirt incident took place, the viewers were treated to a fantastic final. England notched up a mammoth total of 325 courtesy of hundreds by Marcus Trescothick and the then captain of the home side, Nasser Hussain. India, chasing a target of 326, looked down and out at 146-5, with star batsman Sachin Tendulkar back in the pavilion as well at the halfway stage of the innings.
Many thought India had lost the final. However, the young batting duo of Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif had other plans. Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif showed great skill and courage to stitch together a fine partnership of 121 runs for the sixth wicket.
Video Credits: England and Wales Cricket Board
The dismissal of Yuvraj Singh for the fall of the 6th wicket, with more than 50 runs to get, left Mohammad Kaif at the crease with the the bowlers left to come. However, Mohammad Kaif showed great resilience, batting with players like Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan to guide India home. Mohammad Kaif led India to a 2-wicket victory in the last over, prompting the wild Sourav Ganguly Natwest 2002 final celebrations. The series win was a momentous one for Indian, having earlier lost 5 ODI finals under Sourav Ganguly.
Mohammad Kaif got the Man of the Match for his unbeaten 87
While the Yuvraj Singh- Mohammad Kaif partnership is credited for leading India to victory, it was the latter that led India to victory by staying at the crease till the end. Even counterpart Nasser Hussain claimed that the innings by Kaif is his greatest ever. Over the years, Mohammad Kaif has talked about the iconic innings several times, saying that it means everything to him.
Kaif also revealed that innings was the reason behind he announced his retirement on the same date in 2018 as well. He talked about how the situation was completely different for him, as being a lower-order batsman he never had the chance to face so many balls. The batsman also talked about his partnership with Yuvraj Singh, saying the duo’s understanding with each other helped them achieve that.
Fans react to Mohammad Kaif innings
Cricket fans took to social media to reminisce the historic victory. Several of them mentioned the Mohammad Kaif innings, the Yuvraj Singh-Mohammad Kaif partnership as well as the Sourav Ganguly Natwest final 2002 celebration. Fans took to Twitter to share images from the match, while also talking about how the young duo steered India to victory after Sachin Tendulkar’s dismissal. Several videos of the historic moment were doing the rounds online as well.
Image Credits: youtube/englandandwalesricketboard
Updated 12:27 IST, July 13th 2020