On This Day: When Sourav Ganguly and his team create history at Lord’s

XtraTime Web Desk: The cricket fraternity knows it pretty well that, India’s home series against Australia in 2001, changed the complexion of the test side. And the 2002 Natwest final against England at Lord’s was the defining moment for the ODI team. Under a fearless captain Sourav Ganguly, two young lads- Mohammad Kaif and Yuvraj Singh achieved something which looked really impossible for once when India was chasing a mammoth 326 against England in the NatWest final. It was on this day, 18 years back, that India stunned the world.

India, back then, had already become a force to reckon with in the 50-overs cricket, but what ailed them was the inability to win pressure finals. Be it their bowling or batting, the players crumbled under pressure, and failed to live up to the expectations, only in the summit clash.

To add to that, flamboyant Andrew Flintoff muscled his way to 40 from 32 balls as England ended with 325/5 in their stipulated 50 overs.

Come the second innings, Ganguly and Virender Sehwag gave the best possible start to the team, and stitched a 106-run partnership, in less than 15 overs. But what happened after that was a complete disaster. India lost next four wickets adding just 36, that left them reeling at 146/5. Till then the last hope Sachin Tedulkar had also departed.

But the two youngsters in the team — Kaif and Yuvraj — had other plans. When no one gave India a chance to win, the duo played innings of a lifetime and showed the world, what the team was made of.

Yuvraj scored 69 and Kaif ended with an unbeaten 87, to take India home. This was also the highest chase at that time in the world.