September 24, 2007 was the day world cricket changed forever when India defeated Pakistan in the final of the ICC World T20 in South Africa to win their first title since 1983.
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Let us look at a parallel universe in world cricket. On September 24, 2007, Misbah-ul-Haq plays a scoop that goes over Sreesanth in the final of the ICC World T20, 2007 final in Johannesburg. Pakistan goes on to win the match and the title. In the aftermath, MS Dhoni is sacked as the captain. Indian cricket stagnates. The Indian Premier League is never conceptualised, with the Indian public saying Twenty20 is not a format for us. Perhaps, destiny has something else planned for the Indian side. The pain and agony for India are prolonged and there is a general feeling of sadness. 2007 is considered a whitewashing year in Indian cricket, with the pain of the early exit of the 50-over ICC World Cup still afresh.
Nightmare scenario, isn’t it? But, the reality was something else. The scoop shot lands in the hands of Sreesanth. India beat Pakistan in an ICC final, something which fans had been waiting for years. A Twenty20 revolution begins that changes world cricket forever. India now has a new direction under the brilliance of MS Dhoni. It all began on September 24, 2007. On this day, India charted a new course by winning the ICC World T20 in 2007 by beating Pakistan. It could not have gotten any sweeter than this.
The year 2007 was not a happy year for the Indian cricket team. They had lost to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in the league stages of the ICC World Cup in the West Indies. They crashed out in the league stages. The same was true for Pakistan. They lost to West Indies and Ireland to crash out. The event was further marred by the death of their coach Bob Woolmer in mysterious circumstances.
After the end of the disastrous World Cup, India went to England where they won the Test series under Rahul Dravid after 21 years. Although they lost the ODI series 3-4, there was a new chapter being created in cricket. At the same time, the ICC had announced some time back that the year 2007 will also be the year for the inaugural World T20 in South Africa.
India was rank outsiders and many in the public did not give the side a chance. To make the situation interesting, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, and Sachin Tendulkar all withdrew from the Indian side for the tournament. This meant that the team consisted of youngsters who were determined to make a mark. MS Dhoni was appointed the captain. Rohit Sharma was also there and it was the first sign of a core that would lay the foundation for world dominance.
The Indian cricket team was placed in a group that included Pakistan and Scotland. Their first match was abandoned due to rain while Pakistan defeated Scotland. The last match was the clash of the ages between India and Pakistan in Durban. Mohammad Asif was at his brilliant best as he took four wickets. But, Robin Uthappa and MS Dhoni helped India reach a decent score.
When Pakistan batted, Misbah-ul-Haq was the lynchpin. India tried everything but could not stop him. With nine runs needed off six balls, Sreesanth was tasked with bowling the final over. Misbah hit him for two fours as the scores were level. Pakistan could not lose but they had a golden chance to knock India out of the tournament. Then, things changed.
Sreesanth came round the wicket and fired two bouncers across. Misbah missed and the equation came down to one run off one ball. Sreesanth bowled a short ball at the body of Misbah. The single could not be taken and he was run-out. The match went to the bowl-off. India hit with all three bowlers while Pakistan missed.
With India and Pakistan both through, the situation became interesting. India lost to New Zealand in Johannesburg. But, from that loss, there was an inspirational moment.
In the game against England, Yuvraj Singh chose the moment to rewrite the history books. He became the fourth player at that time in cricket history to hit six sixes in one over. Stuart Broad was the unlucky bowler as Yuvraj smashed a world record fifty off just 12 balls. India won the match against England. But, they needed to beat South Africa, the unbeaten hosts by a certain margin to qualify.
Rohit Sharma, on debut, hit fifty and inspired bowling performance from RP Singh saw the Proteas choke in epic fashion. India had entered the semi-final where they would face Australia. Once again, it was Yuvraj who emerged as the ultimate match-winner. His 70 off 30 balls included the biggest six in the competition. His five sixes and five fours, combined with MS Dhoni’s belligerence towards the end helped India reach a big score.
Matthew Hayden kept Australia in the hunt but Sreesanth’s three wickets and Joginder Sharma’s superb death-bowling saw India knock the favorites out of the contest.
For decades, major competitions in cricket had struggled to get India and Pakistan to play the final. But, in the very first ICC World T20, India and Pakistan squared off in the final. India chose to bat at the Wanderers in Johannesburg in an electrifying atmosphere. Gautam Gambhir was the star as he held the innings together to help India reach 157/5. His 75 proved to be the first instance where he would give India a winning platform.
In response, Pakistan kept losing wickets, with Irfan Pathan getting three wickets. This included a major wicket of Shahid Afridi. But, once again, it was Misbah who was threatening to take the game away. His cool, calculated hitting saw Pakistan come close to the finish line. When RP Singh took three wickets, he had once again swung the game in favor of India. But, Misbah was still there and Pakistan needed 13 off the last over.
Now, in orthodox captaincy ways, the most experienced bowler would get the final over. But, Dhoni ripped the textbook and went for something new. Realising Misbah had gotten the measure of the more experienced Harbhajan, he decided to go for Joginder Sharma. At the start, things did not go well.
Joginder bowled a wide first ball. After a dot the next ball, Misbah hit a full toss for a big six to reduce the equation to six runs off four balls. Pakistan was one hit away from history. On the third ball, Joginder bowled a slow and wide delivery outside off. Misbah moved across and scooped the ball. But, he did not time it well and Sreesanth at short fine leg took the catch. History was created. India won the match by five runs to win their first major tournament after 24 years.
The win changed the entire landscape of Indian cricket. MS Dhoni was hailed as a revolutionary. The new blood of India was now given a launchpad to dominate the world. And dominate they did. India scaled the summit of the World Test rankings by finishing No.1 in 2009. In 2011, India created history under MS Dhoni as they won the ICC World Cup in grand style in front of their home fans in Mumbai against Sri Lanka.
Dhoni went on to win the ICC Champions Trophy, making him the only captain to win all three major ICC events. But, what the ICC World T20 achieved was giving the IPL a dream base to fly on. The success of the IPL totally changed the dynamics of the cricketing world. The Club vs Country debate began to take a lot of prominence. If there was a day when cricket changed forever, then September 24 will be etched in the memory of millions for many reasons.
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