SK Elite: Mohammad Kaif's historic knock against England
15 years ago to this date, as an 8-year-old, I had requested my parents to let me stay up to watch the entire final between India and England at Lord's.
With all the matches of the tri-series going beyond 10 pm IST, I often found myself reaching for the newspaper first thing in the morning to find out the result of the match which had occurred the previous night.
However, I was allowed to stay up this one time to watch the final of the series. With England notching up a total of 325 in 50 overs, I figured it might be another early night for me. However, the Men in Blue had other ideas.
The innings began with a determined Sourav Ganguly and a young Virender Sehwag taking on the English bowling attack with aplomb. Ganguly was the one decimating every bowler to all parts of the ground while Sehwag was playing second fiddle and giving his skipper most of the strike.
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In the 15th over of the match, Alex Tudor got the wicket of Ganguly, and with that, the tide completely turned in England's favour. Within the next 10 overs, Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, and Rahul Dravid were all back in the pavilion and India were left reeling at 146-5.
"During the chase, our situation wasn't great having lost five wickets including Sachin's. While I crossed him on the field while coming out to bat, I could see the disappointment in his eyes. I was left wondering how I could win the match for them," said Kaif while speaking exclusively to Sportskeeda.
I was told that India had no chance of winning the match and I'm sure 90% of Indians would have thought the same. If such an incident occurred today, I too would have lost all hope (like I did during the Champions Trophy final). However, the 8-year-old me did not give up and I was determined to stay up to watch the entire match.
Enter Mohammad Kaif
It has been said that something as small as the flutter of a butterfly's wing can ultimately cause a typhoon halfway around the world.
And thus, as a butterfly flapped its wings halfway across the world, two youngsters took charge and turned the tide back in India's favour.
Mohammad Kaif, who was known for his incredible fielding ability, led India's revival, with the odds stacked completely against them.
Prior to the tournament, he had not made a name for himself and many people questioned his place in the side. He had not done too much in the tournament itself, having scored only 87 runs in his previous four innings.
Faced with such a daunting task, it was the perfect opportunity for the former U-19 captain to show the world what he was made of.
"We had lost a lot of finals before that and the belief to win the final was less. What happened that day was we got such a big target to face on such a historic ground and England always played well at home."
He faced a bit of trouble during the beginning of his innings and took some time to get going. However, he was helped by his partner Yuvraj who decided to step up and attack the English bowlers.
For the first half of the partnership between the two youngsters, Kaif mainly played second fiddle and enjoyed Yuvi's masterclass from the best seat in the house.
Possessing a solid technique and good footwork, Kaif was not a hard-hitting batsman. He found the gaps with ease and kept the scoreboard ticking, never letting the required run-rate reach double figures.
He hit just one four during the first 30 runs of his innings. However, with his quick feet and Yuvraj at the other end, he kept his strike rate near 100.
Slowly, but surely, Kaif got into the act and soon felt a lot more comfortable facing the wrath of the opposition bowlers.
"Throughout the innings, I did not let the pressure get to me. My gameplan was simple as I was just watching the ball and playing my natural game."
Even after Yuvraj lost his wicket with India requiring over 70 runs to win, Kaif did not let the pressure get to him. In fact, he began to look a lot more aggressive with Harbhajan Singh providing a worthy contribution with the bat.
With 25 runs required from the final four overs, Kaif looked extremely calm and collected as he hit two vital fours in the over to take India closer to the target.
Flintoff did manage to get England right back into the game with two wickets in the 47th over of the match. However, Kaif ensured no further hiccups for the side as he took India over the line with three balls to spare.
The 22-year-old had led the Men in Blue to their greatest ever ODI chase back then and given the entire nation a memory to cherish for their entire life. He ended with 87 runs in 75 balls with six fours and two sixes to his name.
While most of India's memorable knocks during chases have been centuries, Kaif's 87 remains one of the most underrated knocks of all time.
He cemented his place in the side for the next few years and provided the fans memories for a lifetime with some of his incredible catches throughout his career. His famous diving catch against Pakistan in the 2004 series will never be forgotten.
However, his inconsistent performances with the bat led to him being dropped from the side on a number of occasions. To this date, he continues to play domestic cricket, captaining the Chattisgarh side in the Ranji Trophy.
Kaif, who has been asked about the historic final on numerous occasions, had no words to describe the winning moment.
"After we won the match, the feeling was indescribable. In the end, if you don't try too hard and just stick to the game plan, everything will go your way."
As for me, as Ganguly removed his shirt and waved it around the Lord's balcony, I jumped up and down in joy until I tired myself out and went to bed. I couldn't stop smiling for the entire week.