India’s Historic Win: The First T20 World Cup Victory
This year ICC organized the first T20 World Cup. This tournament was played in South Africa. Team India was playing in this tournament under the captaincy of the newly appointed captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. No one expected that Team India would become the world champion that too in the format which it plays very rarely. But Dhoni and Indian cricket’s fate had something else in store. On this day, i.e. 24 September, India won the first T20 World Cup, and from here began the ‘Mahi Yug’.
The final of this tournament was a dream final for any cricket lover because this title match was played between two arch-rivals. The teams of India and Pakistan clashed for the first title. The ground was Johannesburg’s New Wanderers Stadium, where in a breathtaking match, India won the title by defeating Pakistan in the last over.
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A Thrilling Final Against Pakistan
India had achieved the title of world champion after 24 years. Earlier, Team India had won the World Cup in 1983 under the captaincy of Kapil Dev. However, that was the ODI World Cup. T20 had not even started at the international level then. After Kapil Dev’s historic victory, India again won the title of World Champion after 24 years.
Challenges Before the Final: A Test for Dhoni
This match was not easy for India. India received bad news a day before the match. The team’s stormy opener Virender Sehwag was injured and Dhoni was facing a crisis regarding his replacement. Yusuf Pathan was chosen in his place. Pathan made his World Cup T20 International debut with this title match. Pathan expressed his intentions by hitting a six on Mohammad Asif. But he also got out while trying to play a big shot on his ball. Shoaib Malik caught him while running behind from mid-off. Pathan scored 15 runs in eight balls with the help of a four and a six.
India lost the second wicket in the form of Robin Uthappa who was dismissed by Sohail Tanvir after scoring eight runs. India’s run rate was very slow. Yuvraj Singh, the star player of the tournament, became the victim of Umar Gul after scoring just 14 runs off 19 balls. However, Gambhir was standing at one end and was fighting the Pakistani bowlers alone. After Yuvraj, Gul also dismissed Dhoni on a personal score of six runs. Gambhir’s innings of 75 runs, which was played with the help of eight fours and two sixes on 54 balls, was also ended by Gul on the last ball of the 18th over.
In the end, Rohit Sharma scored unbeaten 30 runs with the help of two fours and a six on 16 balls to take India past 150. Irfan Pathan remained unbeaten with Rohit on three runs and India scored 157 runs at the loss of five wickets.
Sreesanth’s Historic Catch: Sealing the Victory
India needed an early breakthrough, which RP Singh gave it by dismissing Mohammad Hafeez. Imran Nazir was batting rapidly. His innings were ended by Uthappa running him out. Nazir scored 33 runs in 14 balls. Before him, RP Singh had sent Kamran Akmal to the pavilion. Younis Khan returned after scoring 24 runs. Captain Malik became Pathan’s victim. Shahid Afridi also became Pathan’s victim.
After losing six wickets for 77 runs, Pakistan’s defeat seemed certain but Misbah-ul-Haq continued the fight. He brought Pakistan back in the match by hitting three sixes in one over of Harbhajan Singh. Pakistan needed 13 runs to win in the last over. Dhoni made Joginder Sharma bowl. After bowling the first ball wide, Joginder got hit for a six. Then on the third ball Misbah made the mistake of playing scoop and Sreesanth standing at short fine leg caught his catch. Pakistan’s last wicket fell and India became the world champion.
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The Beginning of Dhoni’s Legendary Captaincy
This win ended India’s 24-year drought for a world title since their 1983 ODI World Cup triumph. Dhoni’s leadership was key in this victory, and it was just the start. Under his captaincy, India won the 2011 ODI World Cup and the 2013 Champions Trophy, making him the only captain to win all three ICC tournaments. This victory not only brought glory to Indian cricket but also established Dhoni as one of the greatest captains in the sport.
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