On This Day: India’s second World Cup win after 1983 came on this day in 2007. Kapil Dev was the first ever Indian skipper to win a World Cup trophy for the Men in Blue at the iconic stadium of Lords Cricket Ground in London in 1983. Then India had to wait till 2007 to reclaim that glory again. India under the leadership skills of Mahendra Singh Dhoni clinched the World Cup event of the shortest format in South Africa.
That young team under Mahi Bhai had lost the match of the T20 World Cup in 2007 to New Zealand and the second match was tied and India won that classic encounter via bowl out against Pakistan. The Blues won the matches versus South Africa, England and Australia. In the first-ever finals as well the Men in Blue beat the team of Men in Green and that too by the margin of just five runs at Wanders Stadium in Jonesburg. To celebrate and relive this moment of glory, we shall jot down the 5 top performers from Team India in the T20 World Cup 2007 event –
1. Gautam Gambhir –
Virat Kohli And Rohit Sharm: Should They Continue To Play Even After Gautam Gambhir Is The Coach Of India?The current Indian head coach, Gautam Gambhir was the top run-getter for India in the first-ever edition of the World Cup event of the shortest format. He had scored 227 runs from seven matches and six innings with an average of 37.83 and second most half-centuries in that tournament. Gauti had scored three fifties to his name and the innings of 75 runs versus Pakistan in the finals was a top notch knock played by this current coach, who was also a good opening batter across formats of the game.
2. Mahendra Singh Dhoni –
The former Indian skipper started his captaincy journey from the T20 World Cup 2007 and he is still the only skipper in world cricket to win all three ICC trophies as well. Mahi was the second Indian top scorer in South Africa during that T20I event. Dhoni scored 154 runs to his name from seven matches and six innings with an average of 30.80. The former skipper had smashed 13 boundaries which was the second most amongst the Men in Blue players in that tournament.
3. Yuvraj Singh –
Yuvi was the first player to smash six sixes in an over during the T20 World Cup of 2007. Singh also scored the most sixes in that event in the shortest format. Yuvraj had played five matches and six innings in that tournament and scored 148 runs to his name with 29.60, third best strike rate of 194.74, 12 sixes which were the second most sixes and he had the best score of 70 runs versus the Aussies in the semi-finals.
4. Rudra Pratap Singh –
The pace bowler RP Singh was India’s highest wicket-taker in the T20 World Cup 2007. He had picked up 12 scalps to his name from seven matches played in that tournament with an average of 12.67, a strike rate of 12 and an economy rate of 6.33. Rudra’s best figures in this shortest format event came versus the Proteas where he picked up 4 wickets for 13 runs which helped India to knock out the hosts of that event, South Africa.
5. Irfan Pathan –
The pace bowling all-rounder of that Indian side, Irfan Pathan didn’t have much to do with the bat. But he was good with the white cherry in hand. Pathan had 10 scalps to his name from seven matches of the T20 World Cup 2007. He had an average of 14.90, a strike rate of 13.20, and an economy rate of 6.77. Irfan’s best performance in this event came versus the arch-rivals, Pakistan and that too in the finals where had picked three wickets and gave away just 16 runs from his quota of four overs. Pathan was also awarded the player of the match in the finals.
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