July 13, 2002, marked the dawn of a new age in Indian cricket with the historic triumph at Lord’s in the Natwest Trophy final.
In the high-octane thriller, India chased down an improbable target of 326 against a strong England attack at home. The tournament also featured Sri Lanka as the third team who could not find a place in the final.
The Indian team received a major thrashing upfront as Nasser Hussain notched up his maiden and only ODI ton. Along with opener Marcus Trescothick, who also scored a sublime ton, captain Hussain helped the host set a target of 326 in front of India.
A determined Indian captain in Sourav Ganguly gave his team a flying start along with Virender Sehwag but lost their way in the middle. The ‘Men in Blue’ were reduced to 146 for the loss of five wickets at the halfway stage when two young guns played the innings of their lives.
India was in no contention to win the match when newcomers, Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif, came in and stitched a priceless partnership of over 100 runs.
Yuvraj scored a fluent 69 while Kaif took India across to the finishing line with his memorable knock of 87. This chase was the highest in the world until then.
Also, the win was special for the Indian team as it got its revenge for the loss against England in the preceding home series.
After Zaheer Khan scored the winning runs off overthrows, Ganguly performed one of the most iconic celebrations by swirling around his jersey at the Lord’s balcony.
Earlier, the Indian team was renowned for capitulating under the pressure of reaching high-targets. However, the win at Lord’s 18 years back changed the course of the Indian team, by bringing in a fearless mentality while chasing.
#OnThisDay in 2002.. #TeamIndia scripted history by winning the Natwest Trophy final at Lord's 🇮🇳👏pic.twitter.com/jKeFXEmCgk
— BCCI (@BCCI) July 13, 2020
