OTD: Mohammad Kaif-Yuvraj Singh's iconic partnership helped India to win 2002 NatWest Series

Triumph in the 1983 World Cup is still fresh in memory. India humbled the mighty West Indies in that game. On that historical day at the Lord’s, Kapil Dev’s India added another thriller encounter to the pages of cricket history. On July 13, 2002, it was the moment for Sourav Ganguly’s Team India.

From ’83 to 2002, India was still considered the emerging cricket country, an underdog. When they stepped into the Lord’s Cricket Ground to play the final of the NatWest series against England, it was a battle like the battle between David and Goliath. England, the home team, played the part of the giant. Like 1983’s final, India found themselves again on the back foot while chasing a target of 326. Over two decades ago, a target over 300 was considered beyond the grip of the second batting team.

Again, a heart broke for India in a final that was looked at very closely when Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, and Dinesh Mongia came and went. The foundation established by Virendra Sehwag (45) and captain Sourav Ganguly (60) is about to be demolished by Andrew Flintoff, Ronnie Irani, and Ashley Giles. In the second innings, the scoreboard was ticking at 146, and India was already down by 5 wickets, and England was oozing with confidence. 

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That partnership of Kaif and Yuvraj...

Back in those days, India could be considered the second favorite in the finals, but the cricketers never learned to surrender without taking the last breath. Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif, two fresh-blooded young stars, almost out of the equation, created an unthinkable partnership of 121 in 106 balls. 

Partnership over a hundred today may not sound surreal, but back then, when India just started to take off with a bunch of new faces, it was a different thing. Kaif, who is mostly known for his exciting fielding skills, won the man of the match award for scoring an unbeaten 87 off 75 deliveries, and Yuvraj Singh got 69 off 63 before going back to the dugout. After the departure of Yuvraj, Harbhajan Singh added another important 15 runs, and Zaheer Khan managed to hang on to the wicket with Kaif and steal another infamous win for the Men in Blue. India won the match by 2 wickets and 3 balls to spare.