India 2007 T20 World Cup Win: Top 3 bowling performances by Indian bowlers in the tournament
It's been 15 years since MS Dhoni's Team India lifted the ICC T20 World Cup 2007 trophy by beating arch-rivals Pakistan in South Africa.
Given that it is India's only significant trophy in the shortest format of the game till date, the historic T20 World Cup success is still widely cherished across the nation.
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When the inaugural T20 World Cup kicked off, no one envisaged that the Indian side would emerge victorious. The team's roster was devoid of several renowned players, including Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, and Rahul Dravid.
A young MS Dhoni was tasked with managing a group of mostly inexperienced players against some of the top teams in the world.
Alongside some great batting talents, skipper Dhoni had the luxury of having lively bowlers who played an integral role in the Men in Blue's success during that competition.
In commemoration of 15 years of India's 2007 T20 World Cup triumph, let's take a look at the top three bowling spells by Indian bowlers in that tournament.
#3 S Sreesanth - 2/12 vs Australia in the semi-final
Although S Sreesanth didn't set the world alight in the first few games of the competition, he made decent contributions for India during knockout games. After his 2/23 in the game against South Africa, Sreesanth was India's best bowler on display in the semi-final against Australia.
Having opted to bat first, India posted a great total of 188/5 in the first innings. Yuvraj Singh's 30-ball 70 and MS Dhoni’s 18-ball 36 helped India get to a match-winning score. But Australia had always had the better of India in multi-nation events and hence, the pressure on Dhoni's boys was huge.
What Happened:
defending 190 on a batting track, Sreesanth produced an aggressive 3 over spell in powerplay bowling 15 dots and taking out the dangerous Gilchrist. He returned in 15th over with Australia in control and castled Hayden while giving just 6 runs. https://t.co/lOArgBoIxo
Australia got off to a decent start and reached 36/0 in five overs. Sreesanth had bowled a couple of excellent overs (2-1-5-0 at that stage). He continued with his third over of the spell and knocked over the dangerous Adam Gilchrist to give India their first breakthrough.
However, Matthew Hayden (62 off 47) continued batting beautifully at the other end and stitched a partnership of 66 runs for the third wicket with Andrew Symonds.
Sreesanth returned for his final over and cleaned up the big Aussie opener as well to drag India back into the match. That wicket changed the momentum of the game and India went on to register a famous 15-run win and advance to the final.
#2 RP Singh - 4/13 vs South Africa
Former left-arm pacer RP Singh was India's unsung hero at the 2007 T20 World Cup. The Uttar Pradesh-born speedster was the nation's highest wicket-taker in the tournament, claiming 12 scalps at an average of 12 from six matches.
Singh's best bowling performance came in a do-or-die encounter against South Africa in Durban. After being asked to bat first, India could only muster 153 runs in the first innings. It was Rohit Sharma's debut game for India, who scored a well-made 50*.
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India had their task cut out as they needed to restrict South Africa below 126 runs to qualify for the semifinals. RP Singh opened the bowling for India and wreaked havoc on the well-rounded Protea batting unit.
Singh struck early by sending back the dangerous Herschelle Gibbs for just one before dismissing Proteas skipper Graeme Smith for four in the same over.
In his third over inside the powerplay, the left-armer also sent back Shaun Pollock for a golden duck with a quick delivery that crashed into the leg stump. In his last over, Singh dismissed the dangerous Albie Morkel, while conceding only 13 runs off his 24 deliveries as India beat South Africa by 37 runs.
#1 Irfan Pathan - 3/16 vs Pakistan in the final
With his precise and skillful bowling, Irfan Pathan delivered a masterful bowling spell in the first-ever T20 World Cup final against Pakistan and even won the Man of the Match for India.
15 years ago on this day, the left-arm all-rounder took a match-changing three-wicket haul. Pakistan were 76/4 in 11.2 overs, chasing 158 to win. Pathan then scalped two wickets in two balls to reduce the Men in Green to 77/6 in 11.4 overs.
.@IrfanPathan 3-16 in final against #Pakistan - Man of the Match in the final of 2007 WC. Some moments can never be replaced, bro. #Magical https://t.co/qJKXt1zLrZ
He first picked up the wicket of captain Shoaib Malik and dismissed the dangerous Shahid Afridi next. This ensured that not only had India come back into the contest but were now in the driver’s seat.
Pathan then sent Yasir Arafat back to the dressing room and completed his spell with impressive figures of 4-0-16-3, helping India win the ultimate game by a slim margin of five runs.