''I went straight to MS Dhoni, and said, 'Bro, I've to bowl'"- Robin Uthappa recalls 2007 T20 WC 'bowl out'
Former Indian player Robin Uthappa went down memory lane to recall the MS Dhoni-led unit’s memorable ‘bowl out’ victory against arch-rivals Pakistan on this day in 2007.
Robin Uthappa was one of three players chosen by the team to target the stumps. The stylish batsman recalled how he approached Dhoni after the match ended in a tie, requesting the captain to give him a chance during the bowl out.
Dhoni’s reaction, as Uthappa recalled, was a reflection of the kind of leader he was. Uthappa recalled the same in a video posted by Chennai Super Kings Instagram handle, saying:
"I remember after we tied that game, we went to the dressing room and got to know that it's a 'bowl out', I went straight to MS (Dhoni), and I said- 'Bro, I've to bowl,' and he didn't even bat an eyelid. He just said yeah, ok, you'll bowl,"
"And for me when I look back at it in retrospect makes me understand the kind of leader he was. He is the kind of guy when you're really sure about your skills and your own ability, he backs it. And he backed it in his first game as captain."
On this day 14 years ago, a young MS Dhoni led India to victory in a group-stage World T20 game against Pakistan.
Batting first, India posted 141-9 in 20 overs. When Misbah-ul-Haq smashed Sreesanth for a couple of boundaries at the start of the 20th over, it looked like Pakistan would cruise to a comfortable win.
However, with one run needed off the last three balls, Misbah panicked, and the game ended in a tie, requiring a bowl out to separate the two teams.
"I just knew I was going to hit the stumps" - Robin Uthappa
In the initial days of T20 cricket, the tie-breaker used to decide a deadlocked game was a 'bowl out', where each side would get five opportunities to aim at the stumps.
Uthappa revealed that the Indian team used to practice hitting the stumps during their warm-up sessions under the watchful eye of bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad.
He added that apart from him, the likes of Virender Sehwag and Rohit Sharma used to also hit the nets. But he was quietly confident that he would hit the bulls' eye if given the opportunity, which duly arrived.
Uthappa said:
"I just knew I was going to hit the stumps because Venky (Venkatesh Prasad) , who was our bowling coach at the time, made us practice it in the warm-ups. In that phase, me, Rohit, Viru (Virender Sehwag) were hitting it quite often, so I put my hand up, and said I have to bowl, and he said 'bowl'. That reaction was spontaneous."
Click here for all the T20 World Cup fixtures for 2021 World Cup.
As things turned out, India beat Pakistan 3-0 in the bowl out. Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh and Uthappa hit the stumps with precision, while Yasir Arafat, Umar Gul and Shahid Afridi missed for Pakistan.
That was also the first completed international game in which MS Dhoni led India. The rest, as they say, is history.