"Baap of all Celebrations"- Twitterati reminisces India's iconic Natwest series 2002 final victory on its 21st anniversary

Today marks the 21st anniversary of Team India's iconic Natwest ODI series victory against England. The Sourav Ganguly-led side won the final match of the series on July 13, 2002, after overcoming a batting collapse while chasing 326 at the Lord's.

The match is also vividly remembered by Indian cricket fans because of Ganguly's aggressive celebrations following the victory. As soon as Mohammed Kaif and Zaheer Khan finished the formalities on the ground, Sourav Ganguly removed his jersey and started twirling passionately it on the Lord's balcony to commemorate the remarkable triumph. Ganguly's celebration was in reply to Andrew Flintoff, who did a similar thing earlier that year after England won the ODI series in Mumbai.

Former Indian cricketers like Mohammed Kaif and Yuvraj Singh reminisced about the renowned match on its 21st anniversary along with the fans and expressed their reactions to it through Twitter.

Mohammed Kaif and Yuvraj Singh starred for India in the chase during the Natwest 2002 final vs England

England skipper Nasser Hussain won the toss and opted to bat first in decent batting conditions. The home team scored a daunting 325/5 in 50 overs, courtesy of centuries from Marcus Trescothick (109) and Nasser Hussain (115).

All-rounder Andrew Flintoff (32) chipped in with a cameo in the death overs to provide the finishing touches. Zaheer Khan picked up three wickets for India, while Anil Kumble and Ashish Nehra scalped one wicket each.

The Men in Blue got off to a good start in the steep chase. Openers Virender Sehwag (45 in 49 balls) and Ganguly (60 in 43 balls) strung together a 106-run partnership in just 14.3 overs to lay down a solid platform for the middle order. However, both of them departed in successive overs without converting their starts into a big one.

Middle-order batters Dinesh Mongia (9), Sachin Tendulkar (14), and Rahul Dravid (5) could not contribute much as India collapsed to 146/5 in 24 overs, wasting their promising start.

Youngsters Mohammad Kaif (87* in 75 balls) and Yuvraj Singh (69 in 63 balls) stitched a valiant 120-run partnership for the sixth wicket at this juncture and kept their side's hopes afloat. Yuvraj departed in the 42nd over without finishing the job at hand, leaving the visitors at 267/6.

Kaif played sensibly in the company of lower-order batters. He eventually took his side home to 326/8 with three balls left in the innings to complete one of the most memorable ODI chases in history.

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Balakrishna has been a cricket writer at Sportskeeda for almost seven years. A sport that he has been following and playing since he was eight, Balakrishna enjoys the intensity of the sport, skills and strategies applied to get a result out of nowhere, and the thrill that it gives. He also played as a medium pace bowling all-rounder in four inter-college tournaments, winning twice.

Balakrishna’s all-time favorite cricketers are Sachin Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma. He admires Sachin’s stellar performances against legendary bowlers, along with his discipline and humility. Meanwhile, he is a big fan of how Rohit turned around his initial struggles to build a successful career.

He avidly supports Team India and 2016 IPL winners SunRisers Hyderabad. The first World Cup that Balakrishna ever saw was the 2003 World Cup, when Australia comprehensively triumphed over India in the final.

While working, he ensures he only uses reliable sources and provides relevant, ethical, and accurate information. When not working, Balakrishna enjoys playing table tennis and reading non-fiction books.

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