MS Dhoni: ICC T20 WC 2007 — India's First T20 Title, Pakistan Final, and the Joginder Sharma Last Over
The ICC World Twenty20 2007 — the first T20 World Cup — was held in South Africa from 11–24 September 2007. India, captained by MS Dhoni, won the title by defeating Pakistan in the final at the Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg on 24 September 2007 by 5 runs. Pakistan needed 13 off the last over; Dhoni gave the ball to Joginder Sharma, who bowled Misbah-ul-Haq off a scoop shot that went straight up to Sreesanth at fine leg. India won 157/5 to Pakistan 152 all out.
The first ICC World Twenty20 was held in South Africa from 11–24 September 2007. Twelve teams competed. India, captained by the 26-year-old MS Dhoni, fielded a young squad: Virender Sehwag, Rohit Sharma, Yuvraj Singh, Robin Uthappa. India beat Pakistan in the final at Wanderers, Johannesburg on 24 September 2007.
India vs Pakistan: The Group Stage Tie
India and Pakistan also met in the group stage — the match tied and was resolved by a bowl-out (5 bowlers from each side bowled at an unguarded wicket). India won the bowl-out 3–0. In the Super 8 matches, Yuvraj Singh hit six consecutive sixes off Stuart Broad against England. India reached the final, where they again met Pakistan.
The Final: Joginder Sharma's Last Over
India batted first and scored 157/5, with Gautam Gambhir scoring 75 from 54 balls. Pakistan needed 13 off the last over — 20th over. Dhoni passed the ball to Joginder Sharma, a relatively inexperienced medium-pacer. Misbah-ul-Haq hit the second ball to fine leg for 6, bringing the requirement to 6 off 4 balls. Off the fifth ball, Misbah played a ramp/scoop shot — the ball went straight up to S. Sreesanth at short fine leg. India won by 5 runs. Rohit Sharma scored 30* in his first major ICC final.
Frequently asked questions
Why did Dhoni give the last over to Joginder Sharma — not Harbhajan or Sreesanth — in the 2007 T20 WC final, and what does the decision reveal about Dhoni's captaincy style and risk management?
Dhoni's decision to give the 20th over to Joginder Sharma (rather than Harbhajan Singh or RP Singh who had bowled earlier) is one of the most analysed captaincy calls in T20 history. The available options at that point: Harbhajan had bowled 4 overs (remaining 0); Irfan Pathan had bowled 4 (remaining 0); RP Singh had bowled 4 (remaining 0); Joginder Sharma (2 overs bowled) had 2 remaining. The only bowlers available for the 20th over were Joginder Sharma and Rohit Sharma (part-time off-spin). Dhoni chose Joginder. The analytical reading of the decision: (1) Match-up: Misbah-ul-Haq was the only competent remaining batter; he was a right-hander who favoured the leg side. RP Singh's left-arm would have naturally offered width on the off side — where Misbah was weakest. However, RP had already bowled his 4 overs. (2) Psychology: there is a documented effect of 'the debutant bowler' — a batter facing an unfamiliar bowler in a high-pressure last over is more likely to play an unorthodox shot (like the scoop) precisely because they are uncertain about the trajectory. Misbah's scoop was an attempt to play over fine leg, which failed when the ball was slower than expected. (3) Post-decision rationalisation risk: Dhoni has said he had a hunch. This is accurate from an expected-value perspective — with Joginder, the variance was higher (could concede 18 or hold to 6) but the mean outcome was no worse than using a part-timer. The analytical conclusion: Dhoni did not have many other options; the decision was rational given his available bowlers, and Joginder's unfamiliarity to Misbah contributed to the scoop decision that ended the match.