Did You Know: Sourav Ganguly Wanted All India Players To Remove Their T-Shirts And Wave On Lord's Balcony After NatWest Trophy 2022 Final Win

Rajeev Shukla was the manager of the Indian cricket team when Men in Blue played in the NatWest Trophy 2022. He revisits the thrilling final vs England, revealing stories from dressing room.

Rajiv Shukla was Team India manager on tour of England in 2022. (Image: ANI/X)

The NatWest Trophy 2022 win is still etched in memory of the Indian cricket fans. That was not a World Cup victory but it still has a special place in hearts of the fans. The reason is that India had finally broken streak of losing the final of a tournament. Before NatWest, India had lost 17 finals, either in ICC tournements or in a tri-series. When England posted 325 for 5 in 50 overs, it seemed India were all set to lose another one as Men in Blue were not considered a great chasing side.

But when captain Sourav Ganguly led the charge and along with opening partner Virender Sehwag smashed 106 inside the 15 overs, the hopes were raised again among the Indian fans. But soon, India got reduced to 146 for 5 as Ganguly, Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and Dinesh Mongia fell in quick succession. Mohammad Kaif and Yuvraj Singh then combined together to stitch a long stand for the sixth wicket. Yuvraj fell after scoring a fifty but Kaif carried on and batted well with the tailenders to take India to a stunning win. 

Rajeev Shukla, Member of Parliament and vice-president of BCCI, revisited that day when he was inside the dressing room of the Indian cricket team as the manager. When the chips were down during the chase, Ganguly was very down emotionally as he saw another defeat in the final loading.  

As memorable a picture as it is, Sourav Ganguly waving his shirt at Lord's in 2002 was actually the final shot in a fairly long montage of India-England acrimony that had brewed in the 10 months before that evening in Lord's. Here's a longish THREAD on what all led to it. _ pic.twitter.com/ZWRpuz8qKH — TheRandomCricketPhotosGuy (@RandomCricketP1) July 13, 2021

"Ganguly was upset when we were in a spot of bother in the final of Natwest Trophy. He told me very emotionally that I don't know why I lose the final despite doing well in the league games," Shukla told UNFILTERED by Samdish.

Then Sourav realised that India were closing in on the target. That is when Rajiv Shukla asked Ganguly to send a messenger to the middle to tell the batters to take the match deep and keep rotating the strike while playing risk-free cricket. 

In the end when Kaif and Zaheer Khan neared the winning mark, Ganguly asked everyone to remove their T-shirts and wave it. Shukla was not sure that was needed. Andrew Flintoff, England captain on tour of India, had done the same a couple of months back at Wankhede stadium in Mumbai. Ganguly wanted to give it back to England after they had won the NatWest Trophy. 

Sachin Tendulkar had his reservations about it and told Shukla that rest of the team should not do it for the sake of the spirit of the game. "Sourav asked the whole team to remove their t-shirts and wave it. Then Sachin Tendulkar came to me and said that 'let's not all of us do it, it does not look nice. It is a Gentlemen's Game'. I concurred. But Ganguly went on to do it," said Shukla. 

Ganguly did take out his shirt and waved it. To do that on Lord's balcony was brave. But that was Ganguly. He did not cake so much about traditions.