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The T20 World Cup in 2007 was the first time a global event was held in this format. India made history by beating Pakistan in the final game by 5 runs to win the event. However, earlier in the tournament the two arch rivals had met each other in the group phase as well. The Indian side, under MS Dhoni, had to win the game to qualify for the next stage.
The match ended in a tie, and unlike the rules today, where the game would have been decided by a super over, this match was decided by a bowl out. The rules were simple like the penalty shootout in football. Five balls were to be bowled and the team with the maximum hits won the game. In case of a tie, there will be a sudden death to determine the winner.
India Defeated Pakistan in Bowl-out in the T20I World Cup "OTD in 2007" 👊
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) September 14, 2024
- The start of "Dhoni Era" in Indian cricket. pic.twitter.com/Xe8NQzHI3g
India opted to go first and Virender Sehwag bowled the ball and hit the stumps on the full. Pakistan responded with Yasir Arafat being given the ball who bowled a full toss that missed the stumps. Harbhajan Singh then made it 2-0 in favour of India as he too found the stumps.
Pakistan cracks under pressure in a bowl-out.
With the Indian Cricket Team 2-0 up in the bowl-out, the mood in the Pakistani camp changed. Umar Gul came in off a shorter run up and bowled a ball that was perfect for a Test match as it sailed harmlessly past the off stump.
Robin Uthappa came on to bowl and the Indian star hit the stumps on the full. Once he made it 3-0, Uthappa removed his cap and bowed to all parts of the stadium. The onus was on the Pakistani bowlers as they had to hit the stumps or they would lose the game.
Shahid Afridi opted to bowl third with the Indian side leading 3-0. The Pakistani spinner missed the stumps as it was called a wide. The entire Indian side came out to the field and celebrated a huge and iconic win after the bowl-out.
A few years ago, Robin Uthappa sat down to speak to Ish Sodhi on a podcast held by Rajasthan Royals. The former Indian star recounted the incident going into the iconic bowlout.
Robin Uthappa said, “We had never lost to Pakistan in a World Cup match - but we came so close to losing in that game. The momentum shifted on the last ball when the run-out happened."
The former Indian star paid huge compliments to MS Dhoni and said, “By looking at Pakistan’s performance in the bowl-out, you can tell that they had not practised it. One of the things MS did differently from the Pakistan wicketkeeper was that the Pakistan keeper stood where normally a wicketkeeper would stand - alongside the stumps, and not behind the stumps.”
“MS was right behind the stumps. It just made it easier because we felt we just needed to bowl to MS, and we would give ourselves the best chances of hitting the stumps. That’s what we did,” added Robin Uthappa.
Robin Uthappa had scored a fifty in the game to become the first Indian batter to reach the mark in T20 format. Sreesanth then bowled two dot balls to ensure the game ended in a tie during regulation time.
Recollecting the fateful day, Uthappa went on to say, “When the bowl out actually happen, I went straight to MS, and said, I gotta bowl, and he said, ‘Sure, okay.’ That kind of reinforced my belief that I am going to hit the stumps.”
The win though wasn’t a fluke as the Indian side had practised hard for it. “We had actually practised bowl out. We have to give credit to our bowling coach at that time, Venkatesh Prasad. He was very astute when it comes to these things. He always pays attention to all the rules of the games. He is very studious in that manner,” he said.
“When we had warm-ups, at the end, he would make us play a game of bowl-out. The batsmen played against the bowlers - and we would see who would win. We played 2-3 times, and most of the time, the batsmen won. Stumps were hit most by Viru bhai, Rohit and myself,” said Robin Uthappa to end the podcast