Published 11:29 IST, September 14th 2020
MS Dhoni's India win iconic World T20 bowlout vs Pakistan on Sep 14, 2007; watch video
2007 T20 World Cup: On this day, 13 years ago, MS Dhoni's men secured a thrilling win against arch-rivals Pakistan courtesy of an epic bowl-out.
The 2007 T20 World Cup triumph in South Africa was iconic for several reasons. It was the first time after 1983 that Team India had their hands on a World Cup. On top of that, India went on to win the World Cup with a bunch of youngsters and a newly- appointed captain in the form of MS Dhoni. Not many had given India a chance considering the absence of senior players like Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid. However, India went on to defy all odds and scripted history under the leadership of MS Dhoni.
The iconic India Pakistan bowlout completes 13 years
The match of the tournament arguably was the group stage encounter between India and Pakistan that ended in a tie where the winner was decided through a bowl-out. Monday marked 13 years to the day when India went on to win the thrilling contest against arch-rivals Pakistan to register their first win of the campaign. As the iconic Ind vs Pak World T20 2007 league game completes 13 years, let's revisit the iconic India Pakistan bowlout.
Batting first, India scored 141 with the help of a fifty by Robin Uthappa and 33 by Dhoni. Misbah-ul-Haq led Pakistan's chase with a fighting 53. With 1 run required off the last ball, Misbah-ul-Haq was run out and the match ended in a tie. According to the rules back then, a tied game was to be decided with the help of a bowlout. The bowlout was similar to the format used in some football or hockey matches, when a drawn game is decided by a penalty shootout in which both teams are given 5 chances each to score. The team that scores 3 times the fastest, wins the match.
In the bowlout, India went ahead with some unusual choices. MS Dhoni's men only opted for only one specialist bowler, Harbhajan Singh and went with two part-timers Virender Sehwag and Robin Uthappa. MS Dhoni's decision to go with Harbhajan Singh, Virender Sehwag and Robin Uthappa left many baffled but the 'Captain Cool' had his strategy sorted.
On the other hand, Pakistan chose to go with Yasir Arafat, Umar Gul and Shahid Afridi, who were specialist bowlers. However, Shoaib Malik's men failed to hit the stumps even once as India won the bowl out 3-0 and started their T20 World Cup campaign on a high.
Here is the footage of the epic India Pakistan bowlout
After beating Pakistan in the league game, there was no looking back for the Indian team. India made it to the final of the T20 World Cup 2007 by beating the likes of South Africa and Australia, who were deemed as favourites to win the tournament. The final of the T20 World Cup 2007 was once again set against Pakistan and just like the group stage match, it turned out to be a nail-biting contest. But once again, India kept their nerves to register a thrilling 5-run victory and win the maiden T20 World Cup in 2007.
IMAGE COURTESY: ICC TWITTER
Updated 11:29 IST, September 14th 2020