Sourav Ganguly reveals which current India players would've taken their shirt off in 2002 NatWest final

No Indian can forget the memory of an animated Sourav Ganguly waving his shirt at the Lord’s balcony to celebrate the iconic resurgence of the Men in Blue. It was on July 13, 2002, when the Ganguly-led side hunted down a steep total of 326 with just three balls to spare.

Team India clinched the Natwest Trophy in the thrilling encounter, with Mohammad Kaif and Yuvraj Singh emerging as the architects of India’s victory. Kaif played a brilliant unbeaten knock of 87 while Yuvraj supported him by gathering 69. Both the youngsters steered the side to a win that is still fresh in the mind of every fan across the country.

Following the win, skipper Ganguly didn’t hold back in expressing himself as the world witnessed him unfurling his shirt at the Lord’s balcony. Ganguly, in a recent interaction with Mayank Agarwal, was asked about the iconic shirt-waving celebration post India’s victory.

On the show ‘Dada Opens with Mayank’ for BCCI TV, Ganguly was asked about who would take off the shirt if the current crop of players were part of that iconic match. Ganguly simply replied: “All of you.”

This generation is completely different: Sourav Ganguly

“This generation is a completely different generation. I see all of your involvement on Instagram. Obviously, when we were growing up, there was no social media. I love the way how they train with their cameras on. Whether they are doing the bench press or whether they are doing pushups, everything is out there in the public.

“So, I would have been surprised if anyone would have not agreed to do so. In my generation, only two were ready to do it – myself and Harbhajan Singh,” said Ganguly.

Mayank also asked Ganguly about the incident when he made Steve Waugh wait before the toss during the 2001 series. The former India skipper revealed that he was actually nervous before the encounter, resulting in him forgetting to wear his blazer.

“It was an accident actually. Before the first Test match, I had forgotten my blazer in the dressing room,” Ganguly revealed.

“They were such a good side and I was very nervous as it was my first big series as captain and we were up against a fantastic cricket team. In the last 25-30 years, I haven’t seen a side like that Australian team.

Initially, I realised I had forgotten my blazer and he reacted to it. It was working on them, the way they played, and they were a bit grumpy because of that,” he added.

Here’s the clip: