If we were to think of the most controversial incidents in Indian Cricket History,we may find Sourav Ganguly waving National Jersey at Lord’s balcony amongst the top of the list. This might also be amongst the proudest moments for the team as the Men in Blue pulled off something unimaginable.
Nasser Hussain, the captain of England, chose to bat first after winning the toss. England scored a whopping 325/5 in fifty overs thanks to centuries from Marcus Trescothick (109 runs off 100 balls) and Hussain (115 runs off 128 balls). A cameo of 40 runs off 32 balls was also performed by all-rounder Andrew Flintoff that further took score to a gigantic total.
India needed to chase the huge total of 326 to win the finals and it looked like an unachieavable tasks with all the big guns in the pavilion early on. It was now time for the stars of tomorrow, Mohammad Kaif and Yuvraj Singh, to take control of the game. India was down and out when Yuvi and Kaif put together a legendary team and brought them back into the game.
With openers Virender Sehwag (45 runs off 49 balls) and Ganguly (60 runs off 43 balls), the visitors got off to a strong start in their chase, scoring 106 runs in only 14.3 overs. However, India’s batting collapsed as they moved from 105 for 0 to 146 for 5 in the span of 10 overs as a result of the rapid dismissals of Sehwag and Ganguly.
That brought Kaif and Yuvraj together, and they combined for a seventh-wicket score of 121 runs. By getting rid of Yuvraj in the 42nd over, Paul Collingwood helped England get back into the contest. Kaif then took charge in his hands and went on to write history helping India win match by 2 wickets with 3 balls remaining.
On winning the match, the Indian camp got excited and most excited was the young captain Ganguly who removed his shirt and swung it in the air. With him, we are sure, many Indians attempted the same at their home, but that was home and not Lord’s balcony but the pride could be felt in every fan’s chest as the Lion roar in the stands.
We have heard many stories about VVS trying to stop Sourav from doing it or Harbhajan trying to pull off the same. The moment remains controversial but amongst the best memory an Indian fan can cherish. From then, India were not afraid, we had Dada showcasing, we were not afraid.
