Why did the Sourav Ganguly Lords t-shirt incident in 2002 happen? Here is the answer

Whenever Sourav Ganguly is mentioned, the iconic Ganguly Lords t shirt incident isn’t left far behind. The visual of the Sourav Ganguly shirt open has been etched in the memory of thousands of cricket fans. Years after the Sourav Ganguly Lords t shirt incident, the former Indian captain revealed the reason behind the unique celebration.

Also Read: Sourav Ganguly Birthday: Yuvraj Singh Recalls Pranks, 2002 Natwest Final In Comical Wish

Sourav Ganguly shirt open incident revisited: Sourav Ganguly Lord’s 2002 final

Video Credits: YouTube/England and Wales Cricket Board

The Sourav Ganguly Lord’s incident occurred during the NatWest tri-series final in 2002. The Sourav Ganguly Lord’s incident was a response to the unbelievable recovery made by the Indian team from a precarious position, going onto win the match. The Indian team was reduced to 146 for 5, with star batsman Sachin Tendulkar back in the dugout. All hope seemed to be lost for India, as the team was inching towards defeat as they attempted to chase the mammoth total of 325 set by England. While India started positively, scoring 100 inside 15 overs, the team was left in a problematic position with 5 wickets down. However, young guns Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif managed to stitch together one of the most iconic partnerships in Indian history, with India achieving the victory in the last over of the match.

Also Read: Sourav Ganguly Birthday: Ravi Shastri Talks About His Contribution To Dada's Career

The euphoria of the unexpected victory caused the Sourav Ganguly Lord’s incident, with the camera showing the Ganguly Lords tshirt incident. From the dressing room, Sourav Ganguly was seen taking his shirt and celebrating the victory wildly. The Sourav Ganguly Lords T shirt incident has been etched in the memory of all cricketers since then. Ganguly claimed in an interview that seeing him, even Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh were keen on doing it, but were stopped in time by Rahul Dravid.

Also Read: Sourav Ganguly Birthday: Relive MS Dhoni's Tribute In His Last Test Match; Watch Video

Sourav Ganguly shirt open: Sourav Ganguly Lord’s incident reason revealed

The former Indian captain has spoken about the Sourav Ganguly shirt open incident several times. The player revealed that the Sourav Ganguly Lords T shirt incident was a response to England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff doing something similar earlier that year. Ganguly was referring to the time when Flintoff wildly celebrated an England victory at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai by taking his shirt off and running onto the pitch, which embarrassed many Indians as England levelled the 6-match ODI series 3-3 in India only a few months prior to the Ganguly Lords T shirt incident.

Also Read: Sourav Ganguly Birthday: Dada's 4 Most Memorable Advertisements Of All Time

The BCCI President has shared several memories from the Ganguly Lords Tshirt incident. During the launch of his autobiography, he revealed how his teammates reacted to the Sourav Ganguly Lord’s incident. Ganguly said that while he was trying to take his shirt off, not just Dravid, but even VVS Laxman was trying his best to prevent it by pulling Ganguly’s shirt down.

In multiple interviews, the Sourav Ganguly shirt open incident is something that he regrets doing it now even though it is one of the most famous moments in Indian cricket. He revealed that he wouldn’t do it again and that even his daughter now asks him behind doing so, which is embarrassing for him. Ganguly also revealed that he took his shirt off in the heat of the moment because he was happy seeing his team’s victory.

Image Courtesy: PTI