NEW DELHI:
Sunday’s ICC Champions Trophy final at Edgbaston will be the first between India and Pakistan since 2008, and the first time the two storied rivals will clash at the summit of an ICC-organised ODI event. Prior to this, the only times they have met in an ICC final was the 2007 World Twenty20, when MS Dhoni’s fledgling team won an epic in Johannesburg. Ahead of Sunday’s blockbuster, TOI Sports recaps some India v Pakistan
classics. In our fourth instalment, we look back at September 24, 2007 when India edged a T20 nail-biter.
The inaugural ICC World Twenty20 changed the landscape of T20 cricket with India going from outsiders - they barely had a domestic T20 setup owing to the BCCI's apathy towards the format - to lifting the title at a packed Wanderers after beating arch-rivals Pakistan by five runs in an epic final.
Gautam Gambhir was the star with the bat for India, hitting 75 off 54 balls to get the total to 157/5 against a spirited Pakistan performance in the field, but Rohit Sharma's unbeaten 16-ball 30 proved a crucial cameo.
RP Singh struck early with the wickets of Mohammad Hafeez and Kamran Akmal, and Irfan was excellent with figures of 3/16 in his quota as India applied the squeeze. Once again it was Misbah-ul-Haq left with the task of taking Pakistan to an improbable win, and with 54 needed from 24 balls with three wickets in hand he almost did. Almost. After hitting Harbhajan Singh for three sixes in the 17th over, Misbah appeared at his unflappable best until the final over.
After much thinking, Dhoni put faith in Joginder Sharma for the last six balls, from which Pakistan required 13.
The first ball was a wide; the second a full toss which Misbah put away for six. The Pakistan fans at the ground were jubilant, the Indian supporters crestfallen. That's when Misbah walked across his stumps to paddle Joginder to fine leg, only to miscue the shot and find Sreesanth lurking at short fine leg. The second Sreesanth took the catch, The Wanderers exploded.