Former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh reveals the strategy behind MS Dhoni‘s success in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2007 which India won by a narrow 5 runs against Pakistan.
In a nail-biting clash between the arch-rival India and Pakistan, India won the game by just 5 runs in a thrilling final over match played at Johannesburg, South Africa. To date, many cricket experts and former cricketers lauds MS Dhoni over the bold decisions he took in the game that made India lift their maiden T20 World Cup title.
Recently, the veteran spinner credited Dhoni for his decision-making and involving team members before taking the final call.
“Not many people know, Dhoni was a very new captain, so he needed that support from all of us. Before matches against teams like Australia, New Zealand, and England, our core group would get together during the game to strategise for the next few overs.
“For example, in a match against Australia, I bowled the crucial 17th or 18th overs because if we managed to give away only 4 runs, it saved us a lot,” Harbhajan said in a special Star Sports Press Room.
In the T20 World Cup 2007 final, batting first India scored 157 runs with Gautam Gambhir’s impressive 75 runs. While defending India made an impressive start by bagging key wickets at regular intervals.
But at one point in time, Pakistan had an upper hand in the game when Harbhajan leaked 19 runs in his 17th over as Mishbah-ul-Haq slammed three sixes. With a need of 35 from the last three overs, Dhoni decided to go with S Sreesanth in which he conceded 15 runs and a wicket of Sohail Tanvir.
Again Harbhajan Singh bowled the crucial 19th over when Pakistan were in need of 20 runs in 12 balls. Harbhajan proved his worth by giving just seven runs and bagged a wicket by dismissing Umar Gul.
Medium-pacer Joginder Sharma bowled the final over and in the third delivery of the over, Joginder dismissed Misbah-ul-Haq and took India to win the game by 5 runs.
Recalling the memory, the 43-year-old complimented Dhoni’s collective leadership skills behind picking the right bowler for the final over of the summit clash.
“Back then, batters didn’t score 25 runs in an over unlike today. The decision-making was always a team effort. When you play together as a united team, you win more competitions. Dhoni was a great listener, taking collective decisions that benefited the team. It was never about individual performances but about playing as ‘we’,” he said.
“Similarly, the question now is can Rohit Sharma do it? Rohit is not alone; it’s about ‘we’. If we play as a united team, thinking about collective success rather than individual achievements, then we can win. But if we only focus on personal goals, things become difficult. It’s all about the ‘we’ mentality, and that’s when things come to life,” the veteran added.
In the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024, India under Rohit Sharma will face their arch-rival Pakistan on June 9 at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York.
