The 2007 T20 World Cup hero for India, Joginder Sharma recalled the final over he bowled to take the team to glory. The Indian skipper MS Dhoni backed Joginder Sharma ahead of experienced Harbhajan Singh for the final over when Pakistan needed 13 runs at the Wanderers, Johannesburg.
Sharma revealed that MS Dhoni told him not to take any kind of pressure while bowling the big over. Misbah-ul-Haq smashed a six on the second ball of the over, which had put the Indian bowler under the pump. However, he was able to bounce back stronger as he dismissed the Pakistan veteran batter.
India went on to win by five runs to clinch the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup and as they say, the rest is history. Joginder Sharma returned with impressive figures of 2-20 in the 3.3 overs he bowled in the final and played a crucial role in India’s triumph.
Speaking on Gujarat Giants’ social media account, Joginder Sharma said, “The discussion before the final over wasn’t around what line and length I should be bowling or what should be my bowling strategy. Mahi told me not to take any kind of pressure. If we lose, it was on him.”
“Even when Misbah hit me for a six off the second ball, we weren’t tense. At no point, we discussed what we needed to do. Just before I delivered the third ball, I saw Misbah getting ready to play a scoop. So I altered the length and bowled a slower one. That’s why Misbah couldn’t hit it properly. Sreesanth pulled off the catch and the rest as they say is history,” said Sharma.
It was a memorable moment for Indian cricket and changed the cricket world for good as that win played a huge role in the development of the IPL.
Meanwhile, MS Dhoni was always known to keep her calm in the crunch situation of the match and got the best out of his team. Dhoni is regarded as one of the most successful white ball captains, leading India to the 2007 T20 World Cup, 2011 World Cup, and the 2013 Champions Trophy.
