Dhoni told me that if we lose, he would take the responsibility, reveals Joginder Sharma
Joginder Sharma has recalled the 2007 World T20 final when MS Dhoni told him that if India lost the game, Dhoni would take the responsibility, and this eased his mind while bowling the last over. Sharma also claimed that he felt happy when Dhoni picked him to bowl the last over of the final.
Ten years ago, on September 24, the final of the first ICC World Twenty20 was played between India and Pakistan at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg. India won the toss and elected to bat first and propelled by Gautam Gambhir’s 75 Team India reached a competitive score of 157/5.
In the reply, Pakistan scored 145/9 in 19 overs and with Misbah-ul-Haq at the crease looked
"When I started off with a wide, I am sure everyone watching that game were very tensed but trust me, I was happy because that ball swung big and I was confident that given a chance, it would take me one or two deliveries to get rid of the left-hander (Mohammad Asif) who was at the opposite end," Sharma said as quoted by Cricbuzz.
After a wide ball, Sharma gave no run in his next delivery but Misbah sent his next full toss delivery for a maximum. With a World Cup hanging in the balance, Sharma looked like a ghost and reading the situation Dhoni walked over to the bowler and calmed his nerves.
"The best thing about Mahi during that over
Needing just six runs in four balls, Pakistan appeared to be
"If you have noticed, I have a slight pause in my action and when Misbah was making his shuffle to play the scoop shot, I was just about to take my leap ahead of the delivery stride. I thought I had enough time to slow my delivery down and follow him. I am glad, in fact, the entire nation is glad, that it came off well," he added.