Indian Heroes instrumental in the NatWest Series Victory of 2002

#2 Mohammad Kaif

Mohammad Kaif held his nerve to play a final-winning knock

Mohammad Kaif was the author of the Indian fairytale at Lord's on one of the golden days for Indian Cricket. It was a herculean effort by Kaif and Yuvraj that took India cross the line.

Kaif, who had made it to the national side on the back of his U19 heroics,did have the best of the tournaments in the group stage. Batting at No.7, he could just manage 87 runs from 6 matches.

However, he announced his arrival on the global stage in the all-important final. Chasing a mammoth 326 for victory, India had been in the driver's seat, with 100-0 in 14 overs. However, calamity struck in the form of Ronnie Irani and Ashley Giles as the innings collapsed to 146-5.

The game switched fortunes once again as the former U19 captain walked in to bat. Kaif stitched a match winning 121 run partnership with Yuvraj Singh, and batted cleverly with the tailenders. He took calculative risks, keeping his nerve till the end.

Kaif exhibited grit and class in his knock of 87*, which etched a milestone of Indian dominance on the Mecca of Cricket.

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Mohammad Kaif in Natwest Series:-

Matches:7 Runs:174 Average:87 50s:1 Best:87*