In the three years leading up to the 2002 NatWest Series final against England at Lord's, India made it to the finals of nine different multi-team ODI tournaments and lost them all.

The last five of those nine games had come under Sourav Ganguly. Ahead of this particular tri-series final, India were preoccupied with thoughts of what it would mean to fail in yet another big game.

Mohammad Kaif, India middle-order batter: It wasn't a usual meeting before the match. It was a long one, to just make sure we don't let go of this final. We were a bit desperate to win. It was only the seniors who spoke in the meeting. We could feel the pressure.

John Wright, India coach: We wanted to break through and win a final, so we were looking forward to this match. We had confidence and we knew we would get a lot of support at Lord's.

England chose to bat and racked up 325, with captain Nasser Hussain, under criticism for his lack of runs at No. 3, contributing 115. India's highest successful ODI chase at the time was 316.

Kaif: We were nervous, and our bowlers were disappointed. Conceding 325 in those days... I remember seeing John's face. He didn't say much, but just seeing his body language, you could make out that he wasn't in a good mood. He was extremely restless, though he kept his anger and disappointment to himself. We knew we had to stay away from him (laughs)! Nobody was talking to anyone, but some dared to go for lunch.

325 reasons why: Nasser Hussain's 115, along with Marcus Trescothick's century, gave England a total they felt confident about defending Tom Shaw / © Getty Images

Wright: Change rooms are better off being quiet. But as a batting group, we worked out where we wanted to be after 15 overs. Of course we wanted to bowl them out cheaper, but the boys never gave up. At the halfway stage, we knew it would be tough to chase.

The England dressing room, in contrast, were confident in the target they had set.

Alex Tudor, England fast bowler: People had a preconceived idea that India just folded in finals. And when you get 320 in ODIs in those days, you feel you would win the game.

Ronnie Irani, England medium-pace allrounder: The pitch was phenomenal. We thought it was a score good enough to win.

India's senior players discussed how to go about the chase while the others tried to stay out of their annoyed coach's way.

Wright: Sourav called his senior batters and we mapped things out. We had to start aggressively. There was no other way out. It was important to make sure that our run rate was sufficient, so that the required rate never got out of control.

Talk nah: a charged up Hussain gestures to the press box after getting his hundred Clive Mason / © Getty Images

Kaif: Fifteen minutes before the chase, Dada [Ganguly] called us and said, "They have scored, and so will we." He reminded us that we had already beaten England in the group stage, and said the plan was to score around 90 in the first 15 overs. That helped us calm down.

Ganguly led India to a blazing start with Virender Sehwag, adding 82 runs in the first 12 overs and getting to his fifty off 35 balls.

Tudor: They were hitting even good balls! Sehwag scared you. You knew that if you were even marginally off line, he is going to deposit you all around. You are not fearful, but it does play at the back of your mind.

Ashley Giles, England left-arm fingerspinner: You've got two extremely destructive players. You are always thinking more of Sehwag, but Ganguly really freed his arms up.

Kaif: Dada had not had a great tournament until then and was feeling the pressure. But they [the openers] did what was discussed. It was motivating - especially for youngsters like me - to watch him do what he had told us. That made us believe, but we had a long way to go.

Seeing India's urgency, England brought Irani into the attack early, in the 13th over, only for Sehwag to smash him for four fours.

Irani: I never used to bowl in the first 15. For whatever reason, Nasser was cramped and was on and off the field the whole time. [Marcus] Trescothick got the captaincy, and why he bowled me in the 13th over, I have no idea!

My bat and (my bare chest) will do the talking: Sourav Ganguly responded to Andrew Flintoff's victory gesture in Mumbai a few months earlier with a 43-ball 60 and a topless celebration of his own Tom Shaw / © Getty Images

Ganguly and Sehwag brought up the century stand in just over 13 overs. Tudor replaced Irani and soon started a dramatic turnaround. From 106 for 0, India collapsed to 146 for 5: Ganguly was bowled by Tudor, Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar were cleaned up by Giles, and Dinesh Mongia and Rahul Dravid were caught off Irani.

Giles: Sachin lost his shape slightly. You almost heard the noise from the Indian crowd be quietened for a little while, which was a nice thing!

India had two new, young batters in Yuvraj Singh and Kaif at the crease. Kaif had only played 17 ODIs until then, while Yuvraj averaged 29 from 39 games.

Kaif: I wasn't getting too many runs against England in that series, but whatever useful innings you play at No. 7 gives you confidence. Our dressing room thought it was too difficult for us to win from there. Everyone just looked like having given up when Sachin got out.

Wright: Most people don't expect you to win those games from that stage, but you always believe you can.

Tudor: When we got Sachin, the crowd's mood and noise had dipped. With the big four of Sehwag, Ganguly, Tendulkar and Dravid gone, you know you have a chance. Not many had heard about Yuvraj then, and Kaif was just another one of those from the conveyor belt.

Irani: We were the favourites then, no doubt about it. India would have felt the same in their dressing room. They knew Yuvraj and Kaif were the last throw of the dice.

The match swung back into England's hands when India's middle order failed to capitalise on the strong start they got from their openers Tom Shaw / © Getty Images

Coming together at the start of the 25th over, Yuvraj and Kaif added 51 in the next nine, calmly getting the scoreboard to tick over with occasional boundaries.

Kaif: Having played together [in youth cricket], Yuvraj and I had a comfort factor. We just wanted to keep it simple by watching the ball and running hard. If we made any eye contact at all, both of us realised we were hungry - to score runs and to win.

Giles: I don't think you ever think the job is done. We obviously felt that we had done a lot of the job because we had dismissed dangerous Indian batsmen, but you never underestimate India. We knew Yuvraj was very dangerous. I didn't know a lot about Kaif.

Irani: When they got to 200, there was an air of worry. They had settled, had put on a fifty partnership, and until that stage, never looked like getting out.

By the end of the 36th over, with Yuvraj and Kaif still at the crease, India needed another 111 to win, with a required rate of nearly eight an over. It was around then that the umpires changed the ball.

Kaif: It happened around the 35th or 36th over. The ball had gone off colour because of which it was hard to pick. The new ball then started to travel faster, and I could make out that our timing had improved too. The change of ball meant any possible chance of reverse swing was eliminated. It was coming on quicker too, and shot-making became easier.

Irani: The ball had gone soft. It was rough on one side and was tailing in. The umpires cost us by changing it! Not that we would have definitely won, but they gave India a rock-hard ball. That was a game-changer, which people forget. I was quite mad at the umpires. We could never get the [new] ball to be soft. It was like a shell and they kept hitting to the boundary.

Ashley Giles: "We obviously felt that we had done a lot because we had dismissed dangerous Indian batsmen, but you never underestimate India. We knew Yuvraj was very dangerous" Tom Shaw / © Getty Images

Wright: I can understand England players are saying that. But no matter what, the ball was still white (laughs)! It still had to be played on its merits. It doesn't surprise me that, because it was a dry day, a newer ball would have come on to the bat better.

Yuvraj hit Andrew Flintoff for fours through mid-on, extra cover and deep third, and in the next over, Kaif deposited Tudor for a six over square leg before drilling a four through extra cover. At the start of the 40th over, India needed 79.

Tudor: They had an air of "We are going to win this for our country". And Yuvraj was effortlessly hitting - not with much force, but with elegance. Kaif was busy, and pulled my length balls hard. It happened very quickly, and you thought, "Who are these two guys? India have found two new batters."

Giles: They always seemed to get a release and played the right shot at the right time. The maturity from those two guys was most impressive because they never really seemed to come out of their box.

Kaif: It was only when Yuvraj and I had put on a few that our dressing room could feel something could still happen. That is when messages were sent to us. Now that we had started playing well, Sachin told the dressing room: "Everyone sits where they were. There were no hopes earlier, but now that we have some, keep sitting where you are."

Wright: Kaif and Yuvraj were magnificent, and Andrew [Leipus, the physiotherapist], myself and Adrian Le Roux [trainer] didn't move much. It just went on and on, kept getting better, and we moved closer.

Tudor: Two young guys come in and play some of the best cricket I have ever seen. The crowd are going nuts, and we start to panic. Nasser got tense, and those two just batted and batted. We were stunned - particularly the English public and the media. We didn't know what was to come (laughs).

Mohammad Kaif: "It was only when Yuvraj and I had put on a few that our dressing room could feel something could still happen" Tom Shaw / © Getty Images

Kaif: Giles was bowling the best. Nasser decided to bowl him out from one end, which was surprising as he was England's only spinner. Had England's pace bowlers gone for runs - even if they were four of them - who would he resort to?

Giles: At a point, maybe we could have bowled Michael Vaughan's part-time spin, or maybe brought [Paul] Collingwood earlier to take a bit more pace off. I remember it was a fast outfield, and one side was a pretty short boundary.

When India needed 59 off 44 balls, Yuvraj mistimed a slower ball from Collingwood to Tudor at short fine leg. Kaif was on a run-a-ball 50, but had only tailenders left for company.

Kaif: I remember thinking that it was me who had to do the job once Yuvraj got out. That is when I attacked. One of the balls I swung at to the leg side against Collingwood ended up at third man. Bhajji [Harbhajan Singh] came to me and said, "Why are you playing risky shots? It is down to a run a ball."

Harbhajan got a handy 15, while Kaif brought down the equation to 12 from 16 balls. Then Flintoff sent Harbhajan and Anil Kumble back inside three balls and India were eight down with new batter Zaheer Khan facing Flintoff.

Kaif: Anil bhai was given out wrongly. He wanted to hit the winning run. Flintoff must have appealed to prevent a wide, and [umpire Steve] Bucknor gave Anil bhai out! In fact, whenever I remind Anil bhai of the dismissal, he always says, "I never nicked it. It was a wrong call."

Wright: It was getting edgy. The momentum was with us. Zaheer could hit too, and most importantly, no one moved (laughs). We weren't even allowed to go to the toilet!

Giles: It was like a whole range of emotions you go through. I was out of overs, but that's when you want to be in the game because you feel you can control it. You want the ball to come to you, you want a catch to come to you.

We believed, but we didn't dare hope: after losing nine tournament finals, India finally got past the finish line at Lord's Martyn Hayhow / © AFP/Getty Images

India were in a tricky situation. They needed six off seven balls with two wickets in hand, and had to ensure Kaif took strike for the final over. When Gough ran in for the last ball of the 49th over, Kaif swung his bat at it.

Kaif: Hussain brought mid-off and mid-on in to ensure I don't get a single and retain strike, so I just had to go for the boundary. There was some yes-no going on in my head before I finally tried to go over mid-on. Eventually, I did get four even if the ball ended up at third man.

Giles: To be fair, we threw everything at them - Gough, Tudor and Flintoff - but we just couldn't get important wickets.

Final over: Flintoff to Zaheer with the field up. India needed two from six balls.

Wright: One of our goals was to give our tailenders as much batting practice as possible. We made a conscious effort when we trained.

Kaif: I could make out Nasser looking angry and frustrated, as if his players weren't trying their best. On the other hand, Zaheer was confused between going for a possible risky single to get me back on strike and hitting a boundary.

The first two balls off the final over were dots. The second ended past leg stump, but was not called wide. Flintoff, perhaps trying to fire in a yorker, then ended up bowling a full toss on off, which Zaheer nudged to cover. Kaif ran, intending to get the strike, but got the win instead.

Kaif: I went up to Zaheer after the two dots and said, "Just get bat on ball and I'll run even if it's a bye." I panicked after those dots and just sprinted. Collingwood was manning cover. The ball went to his left. He is a right-hander, and that extra second while he switched hands worked to my advantage. Eventually it was an overthrow to fine leg.

Marcus Trescothick, Nasser Hussain and Graham Thorpe reflect on an unexpected defeat Clive Mason / © Getty Images

Tudor: Yuvraj and Kaif blew us away. They were better than us despite the pressure of a billion people back home as well as the pressure of the people at Lord's, where it looked like a home game for India.

Giles: The last ball of my spell I had tossed up to Yuvraj, and it went for six. And I remember the overthrow [that won India the game] and the deflation you get from that moment. A game where you've got the opposition at 150 for 5, you back yourself nine times out of ten. When that winning run was scored, everything came alive.

Wright: That day Kaif and Yuvraj showed how magnificent they were, players not many people had seen or heard of before. They even played Under-19 together. They were new to English fans, and proved you can step up to the big stage.

The special win invited an even more remarkable celebration. Ganguly took his shirt off on the Lord's balcony and swung it over his head animatedly. As those involved in the game claim, it was in response to Flintoff's own shirt-off celebration in Mumbai a few months before, when England levelled an ODI series against India.

Kaif: It was Flintoff who started it. Things change. It was a chase of 325, and the win had provided us with a lot of energy. Some fans had even left Lord's, only to return. The win gave us a lot of belief.

Irani: Fair play to Sourav. There was a bit of a clash between him and Flintoff. You play hard and you want to win. Sourav loved the fact that the whole of India was on his shoulders. He absolutely revelled in it.

I'll begin, you finish: Ganguly kicked off the chase and Yuvraj and Kaif built on it © PA Photos

Wright: It was payback time! I don't think everyone would have done it. Sourav returned the gesture with interest (laughs). It's a great photograph. We wanted to avenge the drawn series in India, so there was revenge [on our minds].

Ganguly taking his shirt off got more attention than when Flintoff did it, since it happened at Lord's, the (staid and uptight) home of cricket. His move might not have gone down well with the purists, but for the players, it hardly mattered.

Tudor: I couldn't care less! Emotions take over. Freddie did it, but no one said anything. You can't do it just because it's at Lord's? No, I am not brought up that way. It's karma and it's sport: you do something and it's going to come back to you. Only the fuddy-duddies and the politically correct people might have an issue with it.

Kaif ended unbeaten on 87, won India the match - which is still their highest successful chase in a final - and received the Player-of-the-Match award. But what he best remembers is the appreciation he received from one of the team's iconic players.

Kaif: It was a massive feeling to see Sachin come to receive us. He was running towards me. The maximum reaction that you would get from him [usually] would be a pat on the back, even if you took a brilliant catch. Or at the most, he would shake hands, saying "Well played." So I was expecting him to do that, but rather, he opened his arms up to hug me. Wow! I wish people would have captured that. It remains etched in my mind.

Himanshu Agrawal is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

 

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