Two decades after scripting one of India's most iconic overseas Test wins at Headingley, Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly found themselves reliving old memories — this time from the sidelines.
As India's new generation of batters dominated Day 1 against England, the legends engaged in a heartwarming and nostalgic exchange that took fans right back to 2002.
Despite missing stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, the new-look Indian batting line-up flourished in Leeds, closing Day 1 of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy on a commanding 359 for 3. Yashasvi Jaiswal struck a sparkling 101, Shubman Gill remained unbeaten on 127, and Rishabh Pant added a fluent 65* to cap off a near-perfect day for the visitors.
Tendulkar, who was part of India's unforgettable triumph at Headingley in 2002 alongside Ganguly and Dravid, couldn’t help but draw comparisons.
‘A solid foundation laid by @klrahul and @ybj_19 enabled India to have a good day. Congratulations to Yashasvi and @ShubmanGill for their brilliant centuries. @RishabhPant17’s contribution was equally important for the team,’ Tendulkar posted on X.
Ganguly, quick to join in, responded with a playful nod to the conditions and a cheeky prediction that India might surpass the famous triple-century haul of the 2002 squad.
‘Hi, Champ this time it could be 4... on this good surface... Pant and maybe Karun... the surface on day 1 in 2002 was a bit different than this,’ Ganguly replied.
The crossed-fingers emoji captured the hope and excitement of millions watching Pant inch toward a potential century — and possibly Karun Nair too. Nair, who recently slammed a double century for India A against England Lions, looked in sublime touch ahead of the Test series and could be next in line to etch his name into Headingley folklore.
Fans were thrilled not just by India’s batting dominance but also by the heartwarming camaraderie between two of Indian cricket’s most iconic figures.
Many recalled the memorable 249-run partnership between Tendulkar (193) and Ganguly (128) in 2002 — a stand that built on Sanjay Bangar’s gritty 68 and Rahul Dravid’s stoic 148 to script one of India’s finest overseas wins, an innings and 46-run demolition of England.
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