India win inaugural world cup Twenty 20!! – Final Scorecard and comments

Other innings: Ind inn: 157-5

Pakistan	152-10 (19.3)	Runs	Balls	4s	6s	SR
Extras: 12 ( b:1 lb:4 nb:1 w:6)
Total: 152-10 (19.3) | Curr. RR: 7.79
FOW: M Hafeez (2-1, 0.5), K Akmal (26-2, 2.3), I Nazir (53-3, 5.4), Younis Khan (65-4, 8.3), *S Malik (76-5, 11.3), S Afridi (77-6, 11.4), Yasir Arafat (104-7, 16), S Tanvir (138-8, 18), U Gul (141-9, 18.5), Misbah-ul-Haq (152-10, 19.3)

India team: RP Singh, S Sreesanth, J Sharma, Yusuf Pathan, I Pathan , Harbhajan Singh, R Sharma, R Uthappa , Y Singh , G Gambhir, *MS DhoniPowerplay 1: 1-6 ovs

Gambhir slammed 75 off 54 balls, studded with eight boundaries and two sixes, but none of the other batsmen settled in to play a long innings.

The best partnership in the innings was between Gambhir and Yuvraj, who put on 63 for the third wicket.

India’s total was boosted by Rohit Sharma and Irfan Pathan who plundered 27 runs in the final two overs. Sharma remained unbeaten on a 16-ball 30.

Pakistan’s chase of the victory target of eight runs an over was launched by Imran Nazir who smashed 33 off 14 balls, taking 21 runs in the second over sent down by Sreesanth.

But Pakistan lost three wickets by the sixth over as left-armer Rudra Pratap dismissed Mohammad Hafeez and Kamran Akmal in his first two overs and Nazir was run out by a direct throw from Robin Uthappa.

Pakistan took the total to 65-3 in the ninth over when three further wickets fell for 12 runs, two in one over from Irfan Pathan.

Batting mainstay Younis Khan made 24 when he gave a catch to mid-on off Joginder Sharma and Irfan removed captain Shoaib Malik and Shahid Afridi in the 12th over.

Malik on-drove Pathan to Rohit Sharma at mid-wicket and Afridi, expected to provide the late fireworks, was caught in the deep off the first ball he faced.

India went into the match without aggressive opener Virender Sehwaq who was ruled out of the key match with a thigh strain sustained during Saturday’s semi-final against Australia in Durban.

Yousuf Pathan, elder brother of all-rounder Irfan Pathan who replaced Sehwag, made a dramatic start to his international career after being sent in to open the batting.

Pathan survived a run-out scare off the first ball of the match and smashed the fourth ball from Mohammad Asif over long-on for

Image and Score card highlights courtesy Rediff.com

India win inaugural world cup Twenty 20!!

What a nerve wracking cliffhanger match it was. Despite Nazir, Tanvir and Misbah-ul-Haqs efforts India won. Although is it the same as 1983 World Cup win? I would like to believe so but i can not.

2007, this is the same year when ICC’s plan of putting Pakistan and India in different groups of the ODI worldcup 2007 backfired and both teams were eliminated early on, causing millions of dollars of losses to ICC.

2007, the balance sheet had to be polished and dusted so India and Pakistan were put in the same group hoping atleast one of these major cricket playing nation’s team will get through, ensuring revenue.

It went so well with the plans laid out by ICC that both teams reached finals and fought it tooth and nail, ensuring 10 second ad slots going for mind numbing 10 lakhs and more.

However, no one can take away the credit from India that it took up the ICC’s ‘offer’ and played ‘accordingly’. In that context the 1983 win still outshines this one!

Where and how do you rate this win?