Ganguly wanted all India players to remove their T-shirts & wave after NatWest win, says Rajeev Shukla

NatWest Trophy 2022 win was certainly a memorable moment for all the fans of Indian cricket as the Men in Blue fought back from a miserable situation to stun England in the all-important final to win the coveted title.

In that match, following a good start, India were reduced to 146 for the loss of five wickets. Then emerging batters Mohammad Kaif and Yuvraj Singh stitched together a long and effective partnership for the sixth wicket to help India canter home.

Member of Parliament and vice-president of BCCI Rajeev Shukla has recently recollected that memorable day when he was inside the dressing room of the Indian cricket team as the manager.

“Sourav 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,” said Shukla.

“In the end when Kaif and Zaheer Khan neared the winning mark, Ganguly asked everyone 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,” he added.

Notably, England captain Andrew Flintoff had done the same a couple of months back at Wankhede stadium in Mumbai on tour of India. Ganguly wanted to give it back to England after they had won the NatWest Trophy.