The game of cricket has a history of wild celebrations, and India is not detached from the history. There have been some of the most passionate players in the history of Indian cricket who never shy away from showing their emotions while on the field. On-field banters, sledging, jibes everything is a part of the game. India’s former captain Sourav Ganguly is known for shaping a new and young team and filling it with the confidence to attain overseas victories. But apart from his capabilities as a captain, Ganguly was famous for his aggression when he donned the Indian jersey. There are numerous tales where Dada showed his dadagiri, whether it is making the Australian captain wait at the toss or giving it back to the opponents on the field. But right at the top is Ganguly’s celebration at the Lord’s balcony that came after India defeated England in the finals of Natwest Trophy.
1st innings: English captain Nasser Hussain won the toss and decided to field first. Marcus Trescothick and Nick Knight came to open for England while Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra started the proceedings for India. Zaheer Khan went through the defenses of Knight when he was playing on 14, but Trescothick held his ground and kept on scoring. He got the support of his skipper Nasser Hussain, and the two made things difficult for the Indian bowlers. Boundaries started flowing, and the scoreboard kept on running. Both the batsmen went on to score centuries. Experienced spinner Anil Kumble finally gave a breakthrough to his team, and Trescothick departed after scoring a wonderful 109 off 100 with the help of 7 boundaries and 2 sixes. Andrew Flintoff came to bat. Nasser Hussain was bowled by Ashish Nehra, but the damage had been done. Nasser scored 115 off 128 deliveries with the help of 10 boundaries. The middle-order couldn’t do much, but the target was already inching towards 300. Flintoff’s 40 runs off 32 balls powered by 2 boundaries, and 1 six lit up the English crowd at Lord’s. England finished at 325/5 at the end of 50 overs, and a mammoth run chase awaited India.
325 was a winning total on any ground those days. The Indians knew it. But they had something playing in their memories on Loop. It was the celebration by Andrew Flintoff at Wankhede during the six-match ODI match series, which was leveled after a match that could’ve been easily won by Indian ended up in a draw, taking them away from a series win. The Indians were frustrated, and Flintoff ran through the ground with his shirt off after the match. Those scenes were etched in the memory of every Indian player, but Dada’s wounds were fresh.
2nd Innings: The explosive pair of Virender Sehwag and Sourav Ganguly came out to bat, and they made their intentions clear very early. They started matching each other shot by shot before Giles found his way to the stumps behind Sehwag. Sehwag got out for 45 off 49 that included 7 boundaries. Dinesh Mongia came in place of Sehwag, but he was sent back early by Ronnie Irani when he was playing on just 9. Ganguly got out after scoring a quick 60 off 43 balls that included 10 boundaries and 1 six. Clouds of trouble were hovering over India and the crisis deepened after the most reliable Sachin Tendulkar and equally concrete Rahul Dravid were sent back to pavilion at cheap scores of 14 and 5. Giles and Irani scalped one each.
The middle-order was back as well, and chances of victory for India were grim. But this was the interval of what could be called a heroic comeback by two youngsters- Yuvraj Singh and Mohammed Kaif. The resilience shown by the two young guns remained a talking point for decades. They started building a partnership and took India closer to the target. Yuvraj scored 69 off 63 balls with the help of 9 boundaries and 1 six. But Kaif held his ground. The right-handed batsman scored a well-fought 87 off just 75 balls that included 6 boundaries and 2 sixes. Harbhajan made an important contribution of 15 runs. But, It was Kaif who scripted a nearly impossible win for India. He scored the winning runs avoiding a run-out, and the dressing room went berserk. Kaif was adjudged man-of-the-match, but his thunder was stolen by his skipper Sourav Ganguly. Ganguly came out at the balcony of the Lord’s and started dancing with his shirt off. He swirled his shirt like a flag, and the aggression on his face could be seen from far away. As if he was saying: “On your face Flintoff.” Till now, the match is remembered for Dada’s celebration more than Kaif’s and Yuvraj’s innings. The victory is etched in the minds of Indian cricket fans. So is the celebration. It continues to remind the English of the defeat that was shoved upon them by Kaif’s resilience. And the clip of Dada’s celebration makes sure that the wounds remain fresh.
