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'... Harbhajan would've bowled last over': India's 2007 T20 WC winner reveals Dhoni's 'miscalculation' in final vs PAK
MS Dhoni led India to inaugural T20 World Cup victory in 2007 but a member of the winning squad has now made a revelation about the final overs of the match against Pakistan.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni is widely regarded as one of the greatest captains in cricket history. The former India skipper had steered a relatively young side to victory at the inaugural T20 World Cup in his very first assignment as captain; he then went on to lead India to ODI World Cup win in 2011 and the Champions Trophy title two years later. Years after the T20 World Cup triumph, however, former India pacer Rudra Pratap Singh – who was part of the winning team and played in the final of the tournament against Pakistan – made a major revelation about Dhoni's “miscalculation” in the game.
The Indian captain, in a surprising move, had give Joginder Sharma the final over of the match with Misbah-ul-Haq playing a dangerous knock for Pakistan. However, Joginder had lived up to the captain's faith and secured a five-run win for India. RP Singh, who picked three wickets in the game, had revealed that there was a choice between Harbahajan and Joginder and that there was a miscalculation due to the former's expensive figures.
“Dhoni used to believe that 20th over isn't as important as the 17th, 18th, and 19th. Misbah was playing really good that time. Harbhajan usually used to bowl the 17th over and more often than not, get us a breakthrough there. But Misbah was in some different touch that day. So there, it was a miscalculation,” RP Singh said during his commentary stint at the SA20 league.
“Harbhajan couldn't complete his overs. I had to bowl the 19th over, Sreesanth had to bowl before me. We had two options, either go with Harbhajan or Joginder. Misbah was batting good and if it was a left-handed batter, then Harbhajan would've bowled the final over. Since it was a right-handed batter, Joginder was given the ball,” RP Singh further said.
India had put a competitive score of 157/5 in 20 overs after Dhoni opted to bat in Johannesburg, with Gautam Gambhir scoring a valiant 75. Misbah-ul-Haq's (43 off 38 balls) efforts went in vain, however, as he chose to attempt a scoop shot with Pakistan needing six runs to win off four deliveries. Sreesanth, who stood at the short-fine leg, took an easy catch to secure an Indian win.
