Test debut for Team India is directly called the 'Mecca of Cricket' at Lord's. The start was so strong that even after a century in the first Test, he hit a century in the next Test and when he got the captaincy, he made it a habit for the team to win, with a 'Dadagiri' that stunned the cricketing world. In fact, we are talking about Sourav Ganguly, popularly known among fans by names like 'Prince of Kolkata,' 'Bengal Tiger,' 'God of the Off Side.' 'Dada' is 49 today (July 8th).
The point was when the final match of the NatWest series between India and England was played at the historic Lord's ground in England on July 13, 2002. As Zaheer Khan and Mohammad Kaif took the winning runs in the packed stadium, the ground was as if there was an electric race. Andrew Flintoff sat down on the ground disappointed. On the other hand, Captain Ganguly, sitting on the balcony of Lord's, took off his T-shirt and waved it in such a way that it became history. This was to answer Andrew Flintoff by 'Dada.' In fact, Flintoff took out his shirt and ran to the ground after defeating India at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium in February (February 3, 2002) the same year, and now it was Dada's turn. There could have been nothing bigger than Lord's, the mecca of revenge, and he avenged the Wankhede match by waving his shirt from the balcony.
The Indian team, led by Sourav Ganguly, defeated England on the same soil in a clash to clinch the final title. England had set a huge target of 326 runs to win against India. India's five wickets fell for just 146 runs. But Yuvraj Singh (69) and Mohammad Kaif (87 not out) batted brilliantly to give India a thrilling two-wicket victory with three balls to spare. However, Sourav Ganguly wrote in his 2018 book (A Century is Not Enough), 'The team was very excited about winning the final and I couldn't stop myself as soon as Zaheer Khan hit the winning shot.' Ganguly admitted that it was not right to take off his shirt and celebrate after winning. There were many more ways to celebrate victory.
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