India’s Disabled Cricketers Recreate Sourav Ganguly’s Iconic Lord’s Balcony Celebration After Historic Win
London: India not only registered a historic 118-run victory over England in a mixed disability cricket match at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground on Wednesday, but also celebrated the memorable win in style. The Indian players recreated Sourav Ganguly’s famous Lord’s balcony celebration from 24 years ago, with one player taking off his T-shirt and waving it from the iconic balcony. The Indian squad for Wednesday’s match also included a Gujarati player.
What Happened in the Disability Cricket Match?
The match was played between the mixed disability teams of India and England, with India’s disabled cricket team securing a commanding 118-run victory. The Indian side dominated the hosts throughout the contest.
Batting first in the T20 match, India scored 206 for four. Captain Majid Magrey led the charge with an unbeaten 63 off just 19 balls, while Arjun Gaware scored 68 off 44 balls. Opener Sai Prakash also made a valuable contribution, scoring 48 off 38 balls.
England were bowled out for just 88 in 13.4 overs. India’s Hilal Ahmed Wani produced an outstanding spell of four wickets for 21 runs in four overs, while Gujarat’s Jayesh Parmar claimed three wickets for 14 runs in two overs. Their superb bowling ensured that England could not even reach the 100-run mark.
Opener Jonny Gale scored 19 off 16 balls, while Angus Brown contributed 16 off 11 balls, but England’s innings never gained momentum.
After India completed the emphatic victory, the celebrations continued inside the iconic Lord’s balcony. One Indian player took off his T-shirt and waved it in celebration, while another removed his blazer and waved it before acknowledging the spectators.
The entire Indian team and officials displayed tremendous energy and enthusiasm during the celebrations.
What Happened in the NatWest Final?
On July 13, 2002, England posted 325 for five in 50 overs in the NatWest Trophy final, powered by Marcus Trescothick’s 109, captain Nasser Hussain’s 115 and Andrew Flintoff’s 40. Zaheer Khan was India’s leading wicket-taker with three wickets.
India produced a stunning chase, with captain Sourav Ganguly scoring 60, Virender Sehwag making 45, Yuvraj Singh contributing 69 and Mohammad Kaif remaining unbeaten on 87. Harbhajan Singh added 15, while No. 10 batter Zaheer Khan remained unbeaten on four.
India reached 326 for eight in 49.3 overs to complete a thrilling victory with three balls and two wickets to spare. Kaif was named Player of the Match.
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What Did Ganguly’s Wife Dona Say?
After India’s memorable victory over England in the 2002 NatWest Trophy final, Sourav Ganguly stood on the Lord’s balcony, took off his T-shirt and waved it in celebration. It was widely seen as a fitting response to the English players, including Andrew Flintoff.
However, years later, Ganguly’s wife Dona Ganguly revealed in an interview that Sourav himself later felt that he probably should not have taken off his T-shirt during the celebrations.
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