Mumbai, Apr 16 (IANS): Ever wondered what was going on in the minds of our Team India heroes in that glorious 2007 ICC World T20 final against arch-rivals Pakistan in front of a screeching capacity crowd at The Wanderers in Johannesburg? How did opener Gautam Gambhir, who played a match-winning 75 off 54-ball knock, manage to negate the moving ball from potent left-arm pacers Sohail Tanvir or Umar Gul? Or what was it like for our Indian stars when Misbah-ul-Haq was making them sweat during a tense run-chase? Star Sports now presents fans with a golden opportunity to #Relive that mouth-watering contest with the heroes of the World T20 final on air!
In the lead up to the final which airs on April 17, Star Sports has brought on board heroes of that fabled clash – Gautam Gambhir and Irfan Pathan. The duo will join Jatin Sapru and Deep Dasgupta on Star Sports Hindi (SS 1 Hindi, SS First and SS 3) at 3 p.m. as they recall those memorable moments and will dish out interesting anecdotes from the field of play in a special ‘Watchalong' of the Finale.
For the first time, viewers will be able to watch the game and at the same time, hear from their heroes about what exactly happened during those nerve-wrecking moments in Johannesburg on September 24 in 2007.
The 2007 World T20 final was testament to the fact that Team India eclipsed the impossible against all odds. After opting to bat, India lost its first two wickets with just 40 runs on the board. Gambhir then proved to be the mainstay of the innings and kept on clobbering regular boundaries which ensured the scoreboard kept ticking.
Yuvraj Singh, the hero from the epic semi-final match against Australia, found it tough to get going and was dismissed for just 14. Skipper MS Dhoni too departed cheaply for just 6. Rohit Sharma, in the end, played a cameo of 30 to take the team total to 157/5 in the allotted 20 overs.
A gruelling chase ensued. Pakistan's innings failed to get any type of momentum and the side was reduced to 77/6 in the 12th over. Misbah-ul-Haq then decided to take matters in his own hands and started dispatching Indian bowlers all around the park.
In the final over, Pakistan were clear favourites as they needed just 13 runs. However, Dhoni pulled out a rabbit from the hat and threw the ball to Joginder Sharma. Misbah smashed the second ball for a six and Pakistan were just 6 runs away from the target. But on the third delivery, he played a horrendous shot as he went for a scoop over short fine-leg and ended up handing a simple catch to S. Sreesanth to give India a victory by five runs, a moment that got etched in Indian cricket history forever.