John Wright kept his anger and disappointment to himself: Mohammad Kaif after India conceded 325 in NatWest 2002 final

After being put in to field first, Sourav Ganguly's India conceded 325 runs to Nasser Hussain's England in the NatWest 2002 final at the iconic Lord's Cricket Ground in London.

Former batter Mohammad Kaif said that the mood in the Indian camp wasn’t a healthy one at the halfway mark of the NatWest 2002 final against England at the Lord’s Cricket Ground. After opting to bat first, the Three Lions amassed a massive score of 325 on the back of centuries from skipper Nasser Hussain and opening batter Marcus Trescothick.

After England lost the early wicket of Nick Knight at 42, Hussain and Trescothick stitched together a 185-run stand for the second wicket. Thereafter, Andrew Flintoff’s 40-run cameo of 32 balls helped England get past the 300-run mark without much fuss.

Going down the memory lane, Kaif said that John Wright, India’s then head coach, wasn’t pleased with India’s bowling by any stretch of the imagination.

“We were nervous, and our bowlers were disappointed. Conceding 325 in those days... I remember seeing John's face. He didn't say much, but just seeing his body language, you could make out that he wasn't in a good mood,” Kaif was quoted as saying to ESPNcricinfo’s Cricket Monthly.

“He was extremely restless, though he kept his anger and disappointment to himself. We knew we had to stay away from him (laughs)! Nobody was talking to anyone, but some dared to go for lunch,” he added.

However, in the end, India made amends by chasing down the target of 326 with three balls to spare. Kaif became the Player of the Match for his unbeaten 75-ball 87 under pressure. He was also involved in a 121-run stand with Yuvraj Singh after India lost five wickets for 146.