On This Day: India beat Australia to reach final of WT20 2007; Watch Video

Team India, under the captaincy of MS Dhoni, produced a magnificent performance against Australia on this day in 2007 to reach the final of the inaugural World Twenty20 in South Africa.

India beat Australia by 15 runs to set up a final showdown against Pakistan.

After electing to bat, India made a shaky start to the game, as the side lost two wickets for 41 runs in 7.5 overs. However, Yuvraj Singh (70 off 30 deliveries) helped sky-rocket India’s run-rate along with Robin Uthappa (34) and Dhoni (36).

India ended on 188/5 in 20 overs. In reply, Australia made a strong start as Matthew Hayden (62 off 47 deliveries) and Andrew Symonds (43 off 26 deliveries) forged a dangerous partnership for the third wicket. 

Sreesanth, then, struck with a vital dismissal of Hayden in the 15th over, marking India’s comeback in the game. 

The Kerala-born bowler finished with figures of 2/12 in four overs as India restricted the Aussies to 173/7 in 20 overs.

Irfan Pathan and Joginder Sharma also picked two wickets each while Harbhajan Singh bowled an economical spell (1/24) in the game.

In the final, India defeated Pakistan by five runs to become the first-ever T20 World Champions.