'That day, I felt like Amitabh Bachchan' - Mohammad Kaif recalls epic NatWest Final against England

On July 13, Mohammad Kaif, the former Indian cricketer, probably played his best hand in limited-overs cricket, during the 2002 NatWest Trophy final against England. He was a 21-year-old back then and nothing much was expected of him when the Men in Blue needed 180 off 26 overs with five wickets in hand, chasing 326. Kaif remembers that the audience started walking out of the Lord’s.

But then his 121-run-stand with Yuvraj Singh brought the Men in Blue back into the driver’s seat. In the end, Kaif remained unbeaten on 87 off 75 and India won the game by two wickets with three balls to spare. Thereafter, the then youngster got a reception in his hometown Allahabad that reminded him of the legendary Amitabh Bachchan, who has recently been diagnosed with COVID-19.

Mohammad Kaif goes down the memory lane

“I remember another special image. When I returned home to Allahabad, I was put on an open-jeep procession. It took us nearly three-four hours to travel the five-six km to our home. People lined up on the roads. Garlands, chants, happy faces.

“When I was a kid, I had seen Amitabh Bachchan in an open jeep after he had won an election in my hometown. That day, I felt like Amitabh Bachchan,” Kaif was quoted as saying in The Indian Express.

Kaif said how even his family gave up hope after Ashley Giles castled Sachin Tendulkar to pick up the fifth Indian wicket. Kaif mentioned that his family members went to watch a Shah Rukh Khan-starrer movie after the Master Blaster was dismissed.

“The first memory of that chase at Lord’s that comes to my mind is people walking out when I was walking in to bat. They felt the match was over as Sachin had got out. Later, I would find out that my family in Allahabad too had done the same,” Kaif added.

Kaif made his India debut back in 2000 against South Africa and played his last match against the same opponent in 2006. In 13 Tests and 125 ODIs, he managed 624 and 2,753 runs respectively with three centuries and 20 half-centuries. He retired from the game in 2018.