5 memorable overseas ODI series wins for India

#1 Natwest Series (2002)

The victory that ushered a new era of Indian Cricket

Till the turn of the century, The Indian Cricket Team's record on overseas tours was, at best, disappointing. They used to win matches against the mighty Australians and The Proteas at home, but struggled against even Zimbabwe when on away tours. All that changed with just one win, one huge win at the Home of Cricket Lord's. It was a win that still remains as one of the most memorable ODI wins in India Cricket.

Facing Sri Lanka and hosts England in a tri-series, India were not the favourites to win the series due to their overseas record. However, after three rounds of group matches, it was India, along with the hosts England, that booked the slots for the Finals in Lords. Courtesy twin hundreds by Marcus Trescothick and English skipper Nasser Hussein, England piled up a mammoth total of 325/5. Chasing a target of 326 against an exceptional English bowling line-up was never an easy task and the Indian team, as expected, faltered during the chase.

After an explosive start by Virender Sehwag and skipper Sourav Ganguly, the Indian team experienced a mini-collapse as they lost their 5 top order batsmen for just 40 runs, reducing them to 146/5. In a flashback to their victorious 2000 U-19 World Cup campaign, Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif stitched a partnership that took India out of the mud-hole. After Yuvraj was dismissed for 69 at 267, Kaif, with the help of Harbhajan Singh, kept the score-board ticking and took India close to the target.

With just 2 required of the last over, Zaheer Khan flicked the ball for a close single, but a failed run-out throw allowed them to take the second run to win the match for India. The image of Ganguly removing his shirt and whirling it from the balcony of Lords is still one of the most iconic images of Indian Cricket's history. Two new cricket stars were born that day and a new chapter was written in the history books as India emerged as the Natwest Champions.