February 03, 2002 commenced a big rivalry between Andrew Flintoff and then Indian captain Sourav Ganguly. Chasing 256 in the sixth and final ODI in Mumbai, for a 4-2 scoreline, Ganguly & Co. couldn’t achieve the score and were bundled out for 250 in 49.5 overs, leading to the end of the ODI series at 3-3.
Nasser Hussain-led England felt as if they won the series, as they overcame a 3-1 deficit to level the scoreline. As a result, all-rounder Flintoff — who returned with 40 runs and accounted for 3 scalps in the series final — took off his jersey and celebrated wildly after last man Javagal Srinath’s wicket. Meanwhile, Ganguly watched the proceedings with sheer disappointment from the boundary rope.
Thus, Ganguly waited for an opportunity to get the better of England in another finale and was given a chance that year itself, when Men in Blue locked horns with England at Lord’s in the 2002 Natwest Trophy decider.
On July 13, 2002, England-India locked horns in the summit clash and the home side opted to bat first. Riding on centuries from Hussain and Marcus Trescothick, England posted 325-5. As India, or rather no other side, were consistent in chasing such totals back then, the pressure was on Ganguly & Co., who by then had developed a reputation of faltering in multi-nation finals.
However, Ganguly was determined to give a fitting reply to Flintoff. He led from the front with a power-packed 43-ball 60 and stitched an impressive 106-run opening stand with Virender Sehwag. From 114-1, India slipped to 146/5, however, Mohammad Kaif-Yuvraj Singh combined to lead the recovery process. The duo added an impressive 121-run stand with half-centuries from both propelling India to a memorable 2-wicket win in the process.
It has been 19 years but the win still remains special in the context of Indian cricket as it gave an identity to the then Indian youngsters — who went onto serve the national side for years and created a platform for making India a good chasing side.
Coming back to the Ganguly-Flintoff rivalry, the Bengal Tiger didn’t hold back his emotions and erupted in joy at the Lord’s balcony after India scored the winning run. He took off his shirt, replicating Flintoff, to wave it in jubilation — making a statement that Indian cricket was never going to back down from a fight from thereon.
As Ganguly’s shirt-waving act remains an integral part of Indian cricket, and will surely make it to the cover page of any book on Team India, his then deputy and former captain Rahul Dravid had shared his thoughts and reaction on seeing Ganguly go bonkers.
In the third episode of Cricket Diaries, Dravid told host-cum-actor Aparshakti Khurrana, “I was shocked, to be honest! Dada, kya kar raha hai. Yeh kya horaha hai (What are you doing, Dada? what’s going on!) I think even Bhajji (Harbhajan Singh) wanted to do it. I was pulling his shirt down and holding it, not letting him remove his shirt (laughs). Maybe I don’t know Bhajji’s body might have been a little better than Dada’s!”
Talking about India’s run-chase, Kaif top-scored with a scintillating 89 not out whereas Yuvraj Singh’s 69 (off 63 balls) paved the way for India’s stunning comeback, when the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Dravid fell like nine pins. Many believed even England were caught off guard, allowing India’s smooth recovery.
The Natwest Trophy win wasn’t the only big achievement for Ganguly-led India in their 2002 tour of England. Later, they also levelled the four-match Test series 1-1 to end a highly successful tour.
