5 Times when Indian youngsters surprised the opposition

5. Mohammad Kaif, Natwest Series Final, 2002

The Natwest Series of 2002 holds a special place in the hearts of every Indian cricket fan. The tournament was played between India, England, and Sri Lanka. India, after a pretty successful campaign, had made it to the finals and were looking, strong contenders. It was a time when the Indian team used to dominate the campaigns and make it to the finals of almost every tournament but would end up losing somehow. Thus, there was a lot of pressure on the Indian team to win this one.

The final was held at the Mecca of World Cricket, Lords. Winning the toss, England decided to bat first on a surface that is a paradise to any batsman. Centuries from opener Marcus Trescothick and captain Nasser Hussain put England in a driving situation as the hosts managed to score 325 for the loss of 5 wickets in their 50 overs, which was a mammoth total considering the match was played in the pre-T20 dominant era.

What was a much bigger disappointment that the Indian bowling attack, considered as one of the most disciplined bowling line-ups, gave away 31 runs as extras including 6 no-balls and 7 wides. Zaheer Khan was the standout bowler for India as he picked up 3 wickets for 62 runs from his 10 overs.

Coming to chase that big a total, India had a dream start. Sehwag and captain Ganguly put up 106 from 14.3 overs for the first wicket before Ganguly was clean bowled by paceman Alex Tudor. Sehwag followed next. This started a flurry of wickets and soon, India were reduced to 146 for 5, with grey clouds of defeat in yet another final over their head.

Then Mohammad Kaif walked into the crease. Before the game, Kaif had a pretty average series, scoring 80 runs in 3 innings. Coming into bat with a lot of pressure on his shoulders, the 21-year-old slowly built his innings as Yuvraj Singh on the other end plundered the bowlers. The duo helped India cross 200 in 34 overs.

Once India crossed the 200-run mark, Kaif too started playing his strokes and in a mere span of 6 overs, India brought up their next 50. India needed 68 runs from the last 10 overs now and were in a very comfortable position. Soon enough, Kaif too brought up his fifty. India were searing to a comfortable victory but Paul Collingwood struck and dismissed Yuvraj Singh at the brink of the 42nd over. India’s score was 267 at that moment and required another 58 runs. But Kaif was firm on the other end.

He kept his cool, continued to play his strokes, and built up a partnership of 47 with Harbhajan Singh. Before Bhajji was bowled by Flintoff, India required another 12 runs from 16 deliveries. Kumble followed next and went for a duck. India were on the verge of another collapse. Kaif hit a 4 on the last ball of the 49th over, taking India’s tally to 324 runs. This meant India required just 2 runs to win from the final over.

Flintoff was to bowl the 50th over. He bowled the first two balls dots to Zaheer Khan. When Zaheer finally hit the winning runs on the 3rd ball of the over, the crowd went berserk. Sourav Ganguly put off and swirled his shirt in joy, which became one of the most iconic moments in Indian Cricket history. Kaif ended up scoring 87 runs from 75 deliveries and was awarded the Man of the Match for his brilliant performance. He and Yuvraj Singh brought India back from what once seemed a sure-shot defeat.