There was tension in the air at the Wanderers stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa. Pakistan had one wicket in hand and needed 6 runs to win the inaugural T20 World Cup. A bold move from a legend behind the stumps saw Joginder Sharma being brought into the attack in the last over. What happened three deliveries later is etched in the memories of Indian cricket team fans forever!
MS Dhoni’s India did the unthinkable on this day (September 24) in 2007 when they lifted the T20 World Cup for the first time. A last-ball thriller saw Pakistan’s Misbah-ul-Haq attempt a scoop shot behind the wicket, only to lose the side’s last wicket as Sreesanth took the catch to kick-start the celebrations and the beginning of a new era for Indian cricket.
OTD in 2007: When MS Dhoni-led India created history
There were lots of doubts over the capability of the Indian team to perform well in the T20 World Cup, forget winning it. These doubts weren’t just on the minds of critics outside the country but within as well, including former cricketer Ravi Shastri. Yet, MS Dhoni silenced the critics by leading the young side to a win that will be remembered for ages.
Batting first, India lost opener Yusuf Pathan (15) early in the innings leaving Gautam Gambhir stranded on the other end. Robin Uthappa soon followed the opener back to the pavillion, leaving India in a perilious position. In came India’s T20I hero Yuvraj Singh to the resuce, putting up a fighting partnership with Gambhir. The current India head coach finished his innings with 75 runs to name. A young Rohit Sharma played a handy 30-run knock as India finished at 157/5 in 20 overs.
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RP Singh and Irfan Pathan joined hands to strike at regular intervals to hinder Pakistan’s run-chase. Yet, India’s arch-rivals inched closer to the target, making everyone nervous except for MS Dhoni. A bold call from the skipper to give the ball to Joginder in the last over paid off as he succeeded in taking out Misbah-ul-Haq, handing India the historic win. Irfan Pathan was adjudged the Player of the Match.
