‘Hum Bhi Khelne Aaye Hain!’ When Mohammad Kaif Silenced Captain Sourav Ganguly With a Towering Six During 2002 Natwest Final Against England
Kaif recalled how Yuvraj was going big and smashing boundaries at will while he held on at the other end. But with the required run-rate increasing rapidly captain Sourav Ganguly was screaming at him from the Indian dressing room. ‘Give Yuvraj the strike’ Ganguly was shouting before he silenced the skipper with a six.
Mohammad Kaif and Yuvraj Singh wrote themselves to cricketing folklore when they spearheaded India’s epic chase in the 2002 Natwest series final against England. Chasing a stiff target of 326 to clinch the trophy, India found themselves struggling at 146/5 with their famed top order all back in the hut. But Yuvi and Kaif came together and shared a 221-run partnership to only rescue Indian hopes but also take the nation closer to a historic title. And recalling that final, which to a great extent came to redefine Indian cricket, Kaif and Yuvraj discussed an incident during their Instagram live interview session. Sachin Tendulkar Recalls Hilarious Incident of Why Mohammad Kaif Was Nicknamed ‘Bhai Sahab’.
Kaif recalled how Yuvraj was going big and smashing boundaries at will while he held on at the other end. But with the required run-rate increasing rapidly captain Sourav Ganguly was screaming at Kaif from the Indian dressing room. ‘Give Yuvraj the strike’ Ganguly was screaming at Kaif from the dressing room. This Day That Year: When Sachin Tendulkar's 143 Against Australia Caused 'Desert Storm' in Sharjah (Watch Video).
“I remember Dada was screaming “take a single, take a single, give the strike to Yuvraj,” Kaif recalled before adding “I got a short ball on the next ball. I had a knack of hitting pull shot on short deliveries at the time, so I smacked a pull shot and it went for a six.” Yuvraj also opened up and revealed what Kaif told him after smashing that six.
“What did you do afterwards you hit a six? You came to me, gave me a punch and said 'i! (I have also come to play)'. Dada went quiet after that. He realised Kaif can also hit sixes.” Kaif then added to the conversation: “I remember someone was ready to bring out water as Dada wanted to send instructions to me to run a single. But then after that six, no one came. Dada was like ‘sab jahan ho wahin bethe raho (everyone sit wherever you are)”.
India went on to win the match by two wickets and three deliveries to spare with Kaif remaining unbeaten on 87 from 75 deliveries, which included two sixes and six fours. Yuvraj played a fine knock too and scored 69 from 63 balls with the help of nine boundaries and a maximum to help India complete a remarkable chasse and script history.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 22, 2020 01:41 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).