Natwest finals, one of the greatest matches I've been part of: Sourav Ganguly
Jul 05, 2020
New Delhi [India], July 5 : Former India skipper and current BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has said that the Natwest final against England in 2002 is one of the greatest cricket matches that he's ever been part of.
India had defeated England in the finals of the 2002 Natwest Trophy and after the win, Sourav Ganguly took off his shirt at the balcony of Lord's Cricket Stadium to celebrate in style.
"The Natwest finals had its own charm, when you win in England on a Saturday in Lord's, its a remarkable feeling. It was a packed house and its a remarkable experience when you play in front of a packed stadium at Lord's," Ganguly told opening batsman Mayank Agarwal in a video posted on the official handle of BCCI.
"It was a great moment, we all got carried away, but that's what sport is, when you win, you celebrate, that is one of the great cricket matches I have been part of," he added.
In the Natwest final against England in 2002, India was given a target of 326 to win the match. India was struggling at 146/5 when both Yuvraj and Kaif got together at the crease.
The duo put on a partnership of 121 runs to give India a glimmer of hope in the match. Yuvraj was dismissed for 69 runs, but Kaif batted well, as a tailender, to give India a win in the final over by two wickets and with three balls to spare.
Under Ganguly's leadership, India had also made it to the finals of the 2003 World Cup, but the side lost the summit clash against Australia.
Ganguly said that the campaign in 2003 holds a special place as the side dominated every other team apart from Australia.
"2003 World Cup has a special place, we got smashed by Australia in the finals, they were the best team in that generation as I have said before, beating every team in the tournament except for Australia, I thought it was a great achievement," Ganguly said.
Over the years, Ganguly went on to become one of the most successful Indian skippers. Under his leadership, India defeated Pakistan in Pakistan for the first time in a Test series.
Ganguly played 113 Tests and 311 ODIs for the country. The swashbuckling left-handed batsman scored 18,575 runs across all formats in his international career.
In October 2019, Ganguly became the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
