"When Sachin Got Out...." - Mohammad Kaif Revisits His Match-winning Knock In NatWest 2002 Final Against England

Mohammad Kaif became immortal in Indian cricket after he played a match-winning knock of 87 in the NatWest final at Lord’s in 2002 against England. The Natwest final along with the 2002 Champions Trophy joint winners was the best India performed under Sourav Ganguly.

20 years later, Mohammad Kaif who is himself retired from international cricket looked back at his knock and the moment when India got the winning runs.

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Kaif in a recent interaction on ‘Virtual Encounters’ on DD India spoke about the memories of the final on the occasion of Sourav Ganguly’s 51st birthday. India were chasing a mammoth target of 326 which in those days was an impossible target to chase down. India, however, achieved the impossible through Kaif and Yuvraj Singh (69).

Batting first England posted 325/5 with centuries from then England skipper Nasser Hussain (115) and opener Marcus Trescothick (109). Andrew Flintoff scored 40 off 43 balls in the lower order to power England to a match-winning score.

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India in response began positively with Sourav Ganguly (60) and Virender Sehwag (45) adding 106 for the first wicket inside the first 15 overs. The Men in Blue then lost a cluster of wickets and were struggling at 146/5 when Kaif and Yuvraj came together.

When Sachin Got Out, I Thought Its All Over: Mohammad Kaif

“It was now or never. That was the moment to grab and win the match for India. When Sachin got out, I thought it’s all over, we cannot win this game because five down, Sachin is not there, the biggest match-winner in the world but it was the belief in your game, belief in your ability” said Kaif recalling Tendulkar’s dismissal.

The former Indian cricketer said that that was one of the rare occasions when he had an opportunity to bat a lot of overs. India had still 25 overs to play with when the two youngsters Kaif and Yuvraj took centerstage. The Men in Blue needed 180 runs in 26 overs with five wickets in hand at that stage.

Honesty, Hard Work, Belief In The Game All Put Together On That Day: Mohammad Kaif

“For me as a newcomer, getting my chances, got almost 25 overs to bat. I used to bat No. 7, so it was always hard for me to get more overs to bat. We had some great batters in the first XI. In that game, I had a number of overs to bat. It was probably my hard work, my honesty towards the game, my belief in my game, all just put together on that day” said Kaif.

The duo added 121 runs for the sixth wicket. The partnership was broken by Paul Collingwood. Kaif then articulated the innings and finished unbeaten as India won the match with two overs to spare which was India’s most memorable win back then.

Also Read: IND vs WI: “Hopefully He Will Do A Good Job” – Sourav Ganguly On Newly Appointed Chairman Of Selectors Ajit Agarkar

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