Sourav Ganguly’s 2002 Natwest celebrations showed how passionate he was, states Graeme Smith
Graeme Smith has stated that Sourav Ganguly’s celebrations after India won the 2002 Natwest Series showed the southpaw’s determination and passion to drive the team forward. He also added that if someone poked Dada they were always going to get it back from the now-turned BCCI president.
In 2002, India completed a dramatic comeback against the hosts England to win the Natwest Series finals, on the back of Mohammad Kaif’s 87 and Yuvraj Singh’s 69. While the game was iconic in its own stature, the celebrations that followed with Sourav Ganguly waving his jersey has a place in the Indian cricketing history.
Recalling the celebration, former South African skipper Graeme Smith stated that the crazy celebration from the now BCCI president showed how passionate he was as India’s skipper.
“I think all of us remember that celebration, it was a beautiful sight seeing Dada. More than anything besides the humour of it all, it was the passion that he showed in celebration. You knew if you poked Dada, you were going to get something back always,” Smith said on the Cricket Connected Show on Star Sports, reported Hindustan Times.
On top of that, Smith also admitted while it was funny the celebrations showed how much it meant to the former Indian skipper to win the NatWest Trophy away from home. Ganguly’s celebration was a direct response to England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff’s celebration at the Wankhede stadium. Smith also opined that from a passion perspective, the scenes after the 2002 tournament speaks volumes about Ganguly and his leadership.
“It showed how much India winning meant to him and to overcome the challenge of winning the NatWest Trophy in England, to win away from home, driving Indian cricket forward. I think that shot epitomises everything we have discussed today. But I do have a chuckle every time I see it now. Also, Dada was running short on the hair side on those days, so it is a very humorous shot. But from a passion perspective, that speaks volumes about Dada,” he added.