The NatWest Tri-Series Final 2002 between England and India is an unforgettable moment for any Indian fan who has seen this game on television. The match is commemorated for a spirited performance of young Indian bombers who pursued a tough goal after losing the older players, such as Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and others, for about 100 runs on board.
The English team had 325 runs on board thanks to centuries of collaboration between Captain Nasser Hussain and Marcus Trescothick. Such a result was then, especially in the final of the series, far above average. But two young Indian batsmen, Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif, decided not to give up and prove they were wrong, as the men in blue overwhelmed the English team as well as the spectators at Lords with their amazing punches.
Mohammad Kaif, the hero of the game for the Indian team, recently appeared on the show Breakfast with Champions, recalling his time on the ground.
“It was an opportunity for me to prove all the hard work I’ve done since my childhood, and that was something I did not want to let go of, and I remember when Sachin (Tendulkar) left after his release and as a I penetrated into the bottom of the Lord, it was a common belief that India lost the match when Sachin quit, “Kaif was quoted on the show.
Despite a run of 106 runs in 14 overs, the Indian team including Sachin Tendulkar’s wicket were reduced to 146/5 as England took control of the game. Then Kaif and Yuvraj (69) came together at the fold and made history by countering and adding 121 runs for the fifth wicket. Kaif scored 87 * and won the match for the team. He was named Man of the Match when the Indian team won the trophy.
He also revealed that his parents had watched a movie after Sachin got out and missed her son’s brilliant eyelash. Kaif recalls, “In fact, my parents went to Sachin’s exit to a theater near my house to make a movie. They went to Shah Rukh’s devdas. I did not see her son play. When we won the match, the entire colony came to my house and saw how the door was locked. They thought the family had done this themselves since Kaif won the match.
The crown then learned that the family actually saw a movie in the theater, and the people who went there told them that their son India had won the game.
