[Watch] “Aap se behtar kaun janta hoga?” - Misbah-ul-Haq is expressionless as anchor reminds him of MS Dhoni’s masterstroke
Former Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq refused to react as the anchor, during a recent TV discussion, reminded him of MS Dhoni’s masterstroke in the 2007 T20 World Cup final, which led to his dismissal. The anchor did not specifically name the incident, but it was clear what he was referring to.
India beat Pakistan by five runs in a thrilling final of the 2007 T20 World Cup at The Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg. With the win, the Men in Blue were crowned inaugural T20 world champions.
Chasing a target of 158, Pakistan needed 13 runs to win off the last over with one wicket in hand. Their hopes rested on Misbah, who was batting on 37 off 35 balls. To everyone’s surprise, then Indian captain Dhoni gave the last over to medium pacer Joginder Sharma.
With 12 runs needed off four balls, Misbah clobbered a full toss from Joginder down the ground for a maximum, bringing the equation down to six off four balls. Joginder, however, had his revenge on the very next delivery as Misbah tried to get too cheeky for his own good.
The right-handed batter attempted a scoop over short fine-leg, but ended up hitting the ball straight up in the air. Under pressure, Sreesanth took the catch to lock Team India as the 2007 T20 World Cup winners. Many critics have termed Dhoni’s decision to give Joginder the last over in the match as a masterstroke.
During a recent discussion on Pakistan’s sports channel A Sports, Misbah praised Dhoni and commented:
“Many times, MS Dhoni, the wicketkeeper, used half bowlers way better than others utilize their regular bowlers.”
To this the anchor replied:
“Aap se behtar kaun janta hoga yeh?” (Who would know it better that you?)
Misbah, however, was expressionless and went on to compare current Pakistan keeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan to Dhoni, stating that he too has similar skills to the Indian legend.
How MS Dhoni-led India trumped Pakistan in the 2007 T20 World Cup final
India won the toss and elected to bat first in the 2007 T20 World Cup final in Johannesburg. Opener Gautam Gambhir top-scored for the Men in Blue with 75 off 54, while Rohit Sharma contributed an unbeaten 30 off 16 as India put up 157/5 on the board.
In the chase, Pakistan were held to 152 in 19.3 overs as Irfan Pathan starred with 3/16, while RP Singh claimed 3/26 and Joginder 2/20. For Pakistan, Misbah’s valiant 43 off 38 balls went in vain. Earlier in the innings, Imran Nazir smashed 33 off 14, but was run out by a superb throw from Robin Uthappa.