India 2007 T20 World Cup Win: Top 3 batting performances by Indian batters in the tournament
It has been 15 years since that memorable evening of September 24, 2007 when India clinched their maiden T20 World Cup win. The MS Dhoni-led side trounced arch-rivals Pakistan by defending 157 runs in the final of the competition at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg.
Lifting the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup meant a lot for India as they had faced a shocking group stage exit from the ODI World Cup earlier that year. MS Dhoni led a group of young players to the T20 Cup triumph and thereby made amends for the 50-over Cup setback.
#OnThisDay in 2007, Mahendra Singh Dhoni lifted his first ICC trophy and India won the inaugural T20 World Cup 🇮🇳👏
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With India having played only one T20I prior to the 2007 T20 World Cup, almost no one had backed the unfancied Team India to go all the way before the tournament.
Alongside the bowling unit, the Indian batter performed in unison as well during the tournament. Every single batter stepped up when the team required the most and came up with crunch performances.
Whether it was Rohit Sharma's 50* against South Africa in the final group stage game to ensure progress to the knockout stages, or Robin Uthappa's 50 against Pakistan in the opening match, everyone joined hands to help India to a historic triumph.
In celebration of the 15 years of India's memorable 2007 World Cup win, let's roll back time and take a look at the top three batting performances for India from the competition.
#3 Yuvraj Singh - 70 off 30 vs Australia in Durban
In a crunch high-pressure semi-final against the mighty Australian side, Yuvraj Singh played a wonderful knock to seal India’s berth in the 2007 T20 World Cup final.
After opting to bat first, India were 41/2 and needed Yuvraj to continue his good run with the bat. The southpaw stitched together a crucial 84-run partnership in 6.3 overs with Robin Uthappa to bring Team India's innings back on track. Yuvraj displayed terrific big-hitting form, striking five fours and as many sixes.
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Yuvraj Singh’s sensational 30-ball 70 against Australia in the semi-final of the ICC Men's #T20WorldCup 2007 is the winner of the @postpeapp Greatest Moments match-up 1⃣4⃣! https://t.co/pzl9eX0k3c
The left-hander's counter-attacking approach unsettled the Australian attack comprising Brett Lee, Nathan Bracken, Stuart Clark and Mitchell Johnson. By the time Yuvraj got dismissed in the 18th over, India were in a much more comfortable situation at 155/4. A late blitz from MS Dhoni (36 off 18) pushed India to 188/5.
The Men-in-Blue eventually won the match by 15 runs, with Yuvraj receiving his second Man-of-the-Match award of the tournament.
#2 Gautam Gambhir - 75 off 54 vs Pakistan in Johannesburg
In the first half of the famous final all those years back, India's dependable opener Gautam Gambhir played one of his most unforgettable knocks in the blue jersey of India
In the most important game of the tournament, the final, India won the toss and elected to bat first. With experienced Virender Sehwag missing out due to injury, Yusuf Pathan opened alongside Gambhir. Pathan got out in the third over for a quick-fire 15 after the duo had added 25 runs for the first wicket.
It would had been impossible for India to win 2007 T20 World Cup without Gautam Gambhir 75 vs Pakistan in final.
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Neither of the Indian middle-order batters, including Uthappa, Yuvraj and Dhoni, got going and Gambhir did the bulk of the scoring, mustering about 50 per cent of India's runs in the innings.
His measured approach and temperament under pressure shone through during this effort, as without him India would’ve been staring down the barrel. Gambhir top-scored in the game with his match-winning 75 off 54 and clobbered eight boundaries and a couple of sixes.
Rohit Sharma's quick-fire 30 towards the end helped India post a respectable total of 157/ 5.
In response, some excellent bowling from Irfan Pathan (3/16), RP Singh (3/26) and Joginder Sharma (2/20) helped India successfully defend the total and win the summit clash by five runs.
#1 Yuvraj Singh - 58 off 16 vs England in Durban
And at top of the list is the iconic once-in-a-lifetime innings by Yuvraj Singh against England. The free-flowing left-hander stamped his authority in the high-scoring encounter and helped his side stay alive in the competition.
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6️⃣ 6️⃣ 6️⃣ 6️⃣ 6️⃣ 6️⃣ in the 2007 #T20WorldCup. https://t.co/1hvwKE2CBf
After opting to bat first, India started aggressively from ball one. Sehwag and Gambhir put up 136 runs for the first wicket inside 15 overs, setting up the perfect foundation for the batters to follow. India started to struggle a little after that, losing three wickets quickly before Yuvraj walked in the 17th over.
Yuvraj was revved up following an altercation with Andrew Flintoff just prior to the start of the 18th over. The exchange of words backfired for England as the left-hander proceeded to exhibit a ferocious display of power-hitting at Kingsmead.
Stuart Broad didn’t know what hit him in the 19th over, and at the end of his spell, looked like a kid who had seen too many monsters under the bed.
In those six deliveries, Yuvraj hammered a record 36 runs or, to put it in simple terms, he hit a huge six off every single ball in the fateful over. Yuvraj smashed the fastest T20 fifty on his way to a breath-taking 58 off 16 balls.
This hallmark moment in cricket history also became a wonderful memory for Indian fans thanks to Ravi Shastri's legendary commentary during the over. India went on to win the match by 18 runs, and the southpaw was deservedly named the man of the match.