The 2007 T20 World Cup Final: India vs Pakistan

Why This Final Changed Cricket

On 24 September 2007, India and Pakistan played the final of the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg. The match drew the largest TV audience in T20 cricket history to that point. It introduced a billion cricket fans — most of whom had little prior interest in T20 cricket — to the format. India's victory under MS Dhoni's captaincy validated the T20 format as a serious international competition and helped precipitate the creation of the IPL just six months later.

The Context: Two Nations, One Stage

India and Pakistan had not played a bilateral series since 2007 due to political tensions. Their encounters at World Cups and ICC events were therefore freighted with enormous national weight. Both had fought their way through the tournament — Pakistan reaching the final via some brutal batting from Shahid Afridi, India through the composed leadership of the 26-year-old Dhoni. The final was guaranteed to deliver peak pressure regardless of what happened on the pitch.

India's Innings: 157/5

Batting first, India made 157 for five in their 20 overs. Gautam Gambhir made 75 off 54 balls in an innings of controlled aggression. Rohit Sharma made a rapid 30. Virat Kohli, then 18 and still two years from his Test debut, made 10. The total was competitive but not commanding on a Johannesburg pitch that offered bounce and pace. Pakistan had the batting to chase it.

Pakistan's Chase: Misbah-ul-Haq Takes Centre Stage

Pakistan's chase was unconvincing for most of the innings. They lost wickets regularly and required 54 from the last five overs. Misbah-ul-Haq, 33 years old and in only his second T20 international, came to the crease and began one of cricket's most audacious lower-order rescues. He hit 43 off 38 balls and brought Pakistan to 152 for 8 needing six off the last ball, then 13 off the final over. With Pakistan needing 6 from 4 balls, Misbah played a ramp shot — a scoop over fine leg — for six, reducing the target to 1 off 1.

The Last Ball: Misbah Caught by Sreesanth

Joginder Sharma, a medium-pacer in just his second T20 international, was bowling the final over. Dhoni had handed him the last over ahead of more experienced options — a decision that looked suicidal when Misbah hit the scoop for six. Then, on the last ball, Misbah attempted a second scoop. The ball was slightly shorter and wider. Misbah miscued. The ball lobbed toward the short fine-leg fielder — S Sreesanth. He took the catch. India had won by 5 runs. The Wanderers erupted. Sreesanth ran the length of the pitch, fists pumping.

Dhoni's Captaincy Decision

Dhoni's choice to bowl Joginder Sharma the final over — rather than Irfan Pathan or Harbhajan Singh — was one of the great pieces of captaincy improvisation in modern cricket. Sharma was inexperienced. There was no established logic to the choice. Dhoni later said he trusted Sharma's nerve. The decision was justified not because it was tactically sound but because Dhoni read something in the moment that others missed. It became the founding myth of Dhoni's reputation as a captain who made unconventional decisions under pressure.

Aftermath: The IPL Era Begins

India's victory triggered an extraordinary chain of events. BCCI president Sharad Pawar and IPL chairman Lalit Modi launched the Indian Premier League franchise auction in January 2008, with the first season beginning in April 2008. The 2007 final had proved that T20 cricket between India and Pakistan produced viewership numbers that dwarfed any other cricket match on the calendar. The commercial logic of a domestic T20 league was now undeniable. The BCCI's subsequent dominance of world cricket's financial architecture traces directly back to 24 September 2007.