On this day, 15 years ago MS Dhoni-led young Indian brigade overcame Pakistan in the inaugural T20 World Cup 2007 in South Africa to win their maiden T20 World title. It was a feat nobody could have seen coming, but as the Men in Blue went deeper and deeper into the tournament, beating the likes of Pakistan, England, and Australia along the way, their title credential became clear.
In his very first major tournament as captain of the Indian team, Dhoni achieved an incredible feat.
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On September 24, 2007 in Johannesburg, Team India overcame arch-rivals Pakistan to win a World Cup title for the first time since 1983.
This day, in 2007 #TeamIndia were crowned World T20 Champions pic.twitter.com/o7gUrTF8XN
— BCCI (@BCCI) September 24, 2019
It turned out to be a huge celebration afterwards and kick-started a new era in Indian cricket. The MS Dhoni era.
How India beat Pakistan in the final of 2007 T20 World Cup:
The Men in Blue had won the toss and opted to bat first. Virender Sehwag was ruled out of the final through injury and in his place, Yusuf Pathan made his international bow and scored 15 runs in 8 balls.
#OnThisDay India defeated Pakistan in a thrilling final to win the first edition of the #T20WorldCup
Some outstanding performances from @GautamGambhir and @captainmisbahpk saw the match decided by just five runs! pic.twitter.com/TAXx3skjrh
— T20 World Cup (@T20WorldCup) September 24, 2019
While other batsmen struggled to leave a mark, Gautam Gambhir’s sublime 75 off 54 balls helped India post a total of 157/5 in 20 overs. Rohit Sharma had also contributed 30 off 16 balls in the summit clash.
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In reply, Pakistan folded for 152, as the Men in Blue won the final by five runs. Misbah ul Haq kept his side in the contest until the end, however, his mistimed scoop shot off Joginder Sharma went up in the air and S Sreesanth completed the catch to clinch the World Cup.
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