By Admin 
Team India has lost the 5-match T20 series played on the England tour these days. Now the Men in Blue have their eyes on the ODI series, which will start from July 14 (Tuesday). On this very day, 24 years ago, on July 13, 2002, there was a victory at the historic Lord’s ground in England which created history. The hero of that victory was Mohammad Kaif, after which Sourav Ganguly took off the jersey in the balcony of Lord’s. Kaif had a special conversation with Ravish Bisht about the NatWest Trophy victory.
Question- Kaif Bhai, 24 years have passed, how did you win the final of NatWest Trophy?
answer- The atmosphere at that time was good. Sourav Ganguly had done a very good job as captain. When you have a captain standing with you, senior players standing with you, a coach like John Wright, then you will chase even 325 because you continue to believe in your game, at no point even at that time did I feel that I am not welcome in this team or that I do not deserve a place in this team. I never felt that I had got my number 7, my role at number 7 was defined that this was your job. Even if you don’t score run balls, you are still doing your work for the Indian team. There was an aura of youth in that team. Senior players had experience. In this combination you also chase 325.
Question- What were your instructions when you came to bat? What did the captain and coach say?
answer- No friend, at that time I had accepted defeat a little bit. After Sachin’s dismissal, the moral was very low. No one said anything in that match because when Sachin got out, everyone thought that the Indian team would not be able to win this match because I had played before that too, so many times in the chase of 250-60, I was told that yes brother, 40 runs are left in the last, 50 are left, Kaif, play till the last, stand still. Many times John Wright said, many times Ganguly said, whenever we are leaving, well done boys, we have to win.
No one said anything to me in this match, because when Sachin Paji was out in this match, everyone thought that it would not be possible now. No one there gave me any suggestion or even a single one liner. Everyone remained silent, pin drop silence.
So I went down peacefully. After landing, no one welcomed me, no one clapped. I silently assume that the treasure has already been looted, there is no need to talk. Everyone was quiet. I went inside, no one was clapping, and no one was welcoming me. Sachin Paji is going out. I’m crossing them inside.
Sachin paaji also did not say anything. He was upset with himself. He was very sad with himself that I was out. The crowd started leaving until I started batting. I did not get any support where I felt that we can still win this match.
Question- What happened with Yuvraj?
Answer- Yuvraj Singh was in front. I had played with him earlier too and after traveling around, your penance and hard work gives you mental strength. The belief is that brother, as long as I am standing, it is okay, people have accepted defeat, everyone has accepted defeat, but as long as I am standing, the Indian team is not losing the match, this has to be reminded again and again.
Question- What was the atmosphere like?
answer- It was a dead atmosphere. Everyone had accepted defeat. Your fight is with yourself. You will be alone in the war. It is okay to be against the world, but there you have to speak to yourself again and again. As long as you are there, play matches, build partnerships, focus on the ball. We focused on small goals. We made eye contact and ran away, we were so smart that our fitness helped a lot in running away. Under pressure, when many things are going on in your mind, you forget to watch the game. Is reversing happening? It is not happening. What is the bowler trying to do? What field have you taken? If you remain immersed in the details then you can achieve any difficult task in life. I learned this from that match.
Question- And when Yuvraj was out?
answer- When Yuvraj Singh was out, the match was tied till the last, when there was a partnership with Yuvraj, the expectations had increased. When Yuvraj Singh and I started playing, there was hope in the partnership but we never felt that now we have got it out. You just had to work hard till the last, it was a big score, 325 was a lot of runs. Neither were we familiar with which base to play on at that time. Neither did the T20 tour, nor did the IPL come, nor did we ever win the T20 World Cup. We had never chased such a big target.
Made a partnership with Yuvraj Singh and got out. Then made a partnership with Harbhajan and got out around 40. Kumble was out while coming. Now two wickets are left. Na Zaheer Khan bats and Nehra Saheb is sitting with pads to bat, he does not want to go. Neither was it that I had to work with him, so my role with him was such that I had to have that match with the bowlers. These days it is not the time to bat till nine. At that time brother was batting till number seven. I too did not know what to tell Harbhajan whether he should take a single or hit him because I had never batted with the bowlers.
In this sense, people consider it a memorable match because many things happened which had never happened before in the history of India. So from there I won the match and won my unbeaten match and I used one word ‘belief’. Friend, if there is complete fog in front of you, you cannot see anything, but the fog lasts for a few moments, then the fog also clears up. Boss, you just keep struggling, keep fighting and keep fighting, never give up. Don’t give up, keep working hard, keep doing what happens in the end, even 325 are chased which has never happened before in history.
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