Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan on Wednesday, September 24, took a subtle dig at the Pakistan team while celebrating India's 2007 T20 World Cup win. September 24 marks the 18th anniversary of India’s famous triumph at the inaugural T20 World Cup in South Africa. Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s young Indian brigade overcame heavy odds and silenced their critics by winning the trophy.
Pathan in tweet wrote, "What a day it was back in 2007. Where our World Cup dream was full filed. Beating Pakistan on regular basis started there in T20 cricket."
Irfan was crowned as 'Man of the Match' for his brilliant spell with the ball in the final against Pakistan, and he cherishes it to date. Over the years, both sides have only played each other in major tournaments due to political tension between two nations.
In the Asia Cup 2022 Super Four stage, Pakistan delivered a stunning performance to chase down a formidable Indian total, one of India's rare defeats in T20Is against their arch-rivals. However, India has largely dominated the T20I head-to-head record, winning 10 of the 14 encounters. Pakistan have managed three wins, and one match ended in a tie.
India's performance during T20 World Cup
India defeated South Africa, England, and the formidable Australians in the semifinals by playing an attacking style of cricket, securing a rematch with their bitter rivals at the Wanderers Stadium.
The high-octane final against Pakistan tested India’s resolve and temperament the hardest. The Men in Blue batting first posted a respectable 157/5 in their 20 overs,
Pakistan's pursuit got off to a rough start. Although wickets continued to fall at the other end, opener Imran Nazir's aggressive 33 off just 14 deliveries added some spark. Younis Khan's laborious 24 off 24 put Pakistan further behind the asking rate, and they soon found themselves reeling at 6 for 77.
Pakistan desperately needed an inspiring effort from someone. The valiant Misbah-Ul-Haq entered and, in a game-changing 17th over, hit Harbhajan for three sixes.
The equation was down to 13 off 6 and Dhoni chose to go with the Haryana seamerJoginder Sharma. The Medium-pacer felt the pressure and bowled a wide first ball before being hit for a maximum down the ground after a full-toss. Assuming that the pace off the bat would sail the ball for another boundary, Misbah then attempted his famous lap shot with the fine leg up inside the circle, bringing the equation down to 6 off 4 balls. However, in the next ball Joginder caused the right-hander to mishit his stroke and give Sreesanth an easy catch and take India across finish line.
