Yusuf Pathan, Irfan Pathan recall their favourite moments of 2007 T20 World Cup

24 September is a very special day in the history of Indian cricket. This was the very date in 2007 when India defied all the odds to become the first T20 World Cup champions. The MS Dhoni-led side had won the inaugural ICC World T20 by defeating arch-rivals Pakistan by five runs at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg. The final was one of the most dramatic finals cricket fans can ever witness.

Any game between India and Pakistan rarely disappoints the fans and that historic final was not an exception either. In front of a jam-packed stadium, both the teams gave it their all before India won the game in a thrilling fashion. MS Dhoni won the toss and decided to bat first. India rode on their in-form opener Gautam Gambhir’s 75-run knock to post a competitive total of 157 for 5 in their allotted 20 overs.

In reply, Pakistan looked nervous with the bat and lost wickets at regular intervals. At the halfway stage of the game, it looked like India would register an easy win. However, middle-order batsman Misbah-ul-Haq kept Pakistan’s hopes alive with a brilliant knock and put his team on the verge of the victory. The game was finally down to the final over.

In the final over, Pakistan needed 13 runs. Captain Dhoni handed the ball to Joginder Sharma which was nothing less than a bold step. And the over started in the worst possible manner for Team India. The first delivery was a wide followed by a dot before Misbah dispatched Sharma for a huge six. Pakistan needed only 6 from 4 balls and were favourites to win the clash. However, Misbah ended up scooping the third ball of the over to S Sreesanth as India won the game in a dramatic fashion.

Pathan brothers recall the historic final

The fans and cricketers recalled the famous win on its twelfth anniversary on Tuesday and former India cricketers Yusuf Pathan and Irfan Pathan also followed suit. The final was a very special occasion for the Pathan brothers. It was the very game when both the brothers played for India together. While Irfan was already an established member of the team, Yusuf got a chance in the final after an injury ruled out Virender Sehwag.

Irfan took to Instagram to state that playing with his elder brother and seeing Yuvraj Singh hitting six sixes were his favourite moments from the tournament, writing, “What’s ur fav movement of that World Cup ?? Mine playing with my brother @yusuf_pathan for the first time together for India and @yuvisofficial 6 sixes in an over.”

Well, Yusuf did not take long to reply to the post as he returned the favour. The hard-hitting batsman said that his favourite moment was to play alongside Irfan and seeing him bag the Man of the Match award in the final. Irfan had scooped the award for his fine show with the ball.

Here’s Yusuf Pathan’s response