T20 World Cup: Indian white-ball vice-captain Rohit Sharma recently tracked back his memories to unfold the events that happened during the final of the inaugural ICC T20 World Cup 2007. Though it’s been a long since then, it is a moment to cherish for the Indian fans and the cricketers who were part of that very young, inexperienced squad under MS Dhoni.
Sharma, who is the only cricketer to represent India in the T20 World Cup 2021 who also has ties with the 2007 T20 World Cup squad, recalled that all-rounder Yuvraj Singh turned his back as he didn’t want to see the catch off the final delivery of the final match against Pakistan which decided the result of the match.
Joginder Sharma delivered the last over and on the final delivery Misbah-ul-Haq attempted a scoop to glide the ball over short fine leg, however, it only went in the hands of Sreeshant, who did well to keep the ball safe, and India clinched the 2007 T20 World Cup title after being termed, underdogs.
“I was standing at covers that particular ball. Yuvi was at point. The moment Misbah played that shot, I saw Yuvi turning around. He was not watching because he thought he was going to drop it,” said Rohit Sharma narrating the moment in a video posted in ICC T20 World Cup’s website.
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Rohit further explained that he was just hoping that Sreesanth doesn’t drop that one.
“I was praying that just catch it. He didn’t have to move much. It was just there. He just moved two, three steps back and took it. It was the most pressure catch that he must have taken in his life.”
The dashing cricketer said that the feeling of winning the inaugural T20 World Cup is surreal and that too inside a stadium that is packed with just India and Pakistan fans.
“At the stadium, you could only see India and Pakistan fans. I think more was India. Now, it feels surreal. It’s just unbelievable what we did on that day.”
Rohit Sharma, 20-years old during that event, scored an unbeaten 30 runs from 16 deliveries to help India post a total of 157 in the loss of 5 wickets in the final against Pakistan.
“I was 20 years old at that point and for me, to be in the final of the World Cup, of an inaugural T20 World Cup, was itself a great deal. And then to be playing the finals, and just going out there, scoring runs and taking catches and taking wickets, and seeing all the magic happen on the field was like a dream,” said Rohit.
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