The Iconic Bowl Out of 2007

Once countrymen, now the fiercest of rivals. When they took on each other at Durban for a game of cricket, it was expected that the match would be nothing short of iconic. Iconic, it truly was.

Robin Uthappa delivers the final blow and seals the win for India (Source: Cricket Country)

India versus Pakistan. A sporting match made in heaven. The hostility between the cricketing giants of the subcontinent has always made its way to the pitch and the matches take on larger meanings. To the fans, it represents the fiercest of battles and a matter of pride. Wins are celebrated expressively throughout the nation and a loss means chaos and upheaval.

"Until the T20 world cup of 2021, Pakistan had never defeated India in a world cup encounter. "

And so, tensions were high on September 14th 2007 when the arch rivals took on each other in a group stage match of the T20 world cup In South Africa. Coming off a spectacularly abysmal world cup campaign in the West Indies, the reins of the Indian team had been taken over by MS Dhoni, who was still in the early stages of his career. It was also the first ever T20 world cup tournament, meaning that the stakes were quite high.

Prior to this, the International Cricket Council had introduced the bowl-out as a means to decide the winner if the match ended in a tie during the 2006 ICC Champions Trophy and the 2007 world cup. It was later replaced in 2008 by the Super Over, which to this day remains the official tie breaker of cricket matches. However, the bowl-out did not feature in the above said tournaments and was extended to the 2007 T20 world cup, where it found its place in one of the most iconic clashes cricket has ever produced.

India batted first and put up a total of 141 runs, which was an average score. Although Pakistan lost early wickets, Misbah Ul Haq was intent on getting his team over the victory line. They required only one run off the last two balls but Misbah got run out and the match ended in a tie, much to the elation of the Indian fans across the world.

The bowl-out was to ensue and the thrill of the match was only getting better. Five bowlers were to target unguarded stumps and the team with the most hits would win. While Pakistan went to their star bowlers, India was not so conventional. This was the beginning of a new era, led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni who relied on his faith in processes to counter the pressure of nail biting situations.

Before the tournament had started, bowl-outs had made their way into the training regimes of the players. Through this, the team was able to find players who consistently hit their mark. So when Robin Uthappa, a higher order batsman ran upto Dhoni and told him that he would bowl, there was no doubt in the captain’s mind. He was consistent in the practice sessions, and along with Virendar Sehwag and Harbhajan Singh, went on to play the bowl-out.

The trio knocked over the stumps on all three occasions and Pakistan failed to hit their mark even once. Exhilarating celebrations followed as India had defeated their arch rivals, once again. India was off to a flying start in the campaign and went on to defeat Pakistan in the finals to become the first ever ICC T20 world cup champions.

An elated team India after their stellar bowl-out performance (Source: Circle of Cricket)