India commemorated the 15th anniversary of its ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2007 victory on September 24, 2022. The fact that a group of young players led by MS Dhoni overcame all odds to win the trophy was a watershed moment in Indian cricket history. It also significantly changed Twenty20 cricket in India, serving as the impetus for the creation of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
As a seasoned Misbah-Ul-Haq was batting in the finale against Pakistan, captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni famously threw the ball to Joginder Sharma in the last over, taking a significant risk. Joginder Sharma got his payback by dismissing Misbah as the senior Pakistani batsman scooped the ball straight to Sreesanth at fine leg, even though the experienced hitter had hit him for a six off the very first delivery of the over.
Joginder Sharma recalled that Dhoni instructed him not to feel any pressure during the final over. Joginder Sharma was sharing the incident from the final over in a video posted by Legends league cricket franchise Gujarat Giants. He 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.”
He also discussed the line and length changes he made to dismiss Misbah-Ul-Haq. He said, “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.”
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While playing for Chennai Super Kings between 2008 and 2012 in the IPL, Joginder Sharma went on to represent India in 4 T20Is and 4 ODIs. He did so while playing for MS Dhoni.
