NEW DELHI: India's young cricket team, led by MS Dhoni, achieved a significant milestone by winning the inaugural T20 World Cup. With senior players backing out, Dhoni took charge, supported by players like Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, and a young Rohit Sharma.
Gautam Gambhir was the leading run-scorer for India with 227 runs, and RP Singh took 12 wickets, making them key contributors to the team's success. In the final, India faced Pakistan. When the two teams met earlier in the tournament, India won a bowl-out after a tie.
In the final, Gambhir scored 75 runs, helping India reach 157/5. Rohit Sharma's late contribution of 30 runs from 16 balls helped push India's score past 150. Pakistan started poorly, losing key players early. Misbah-ul-Haq's efforts brought Pakistan close to the target.
A crucial decision by MS Dhoni in the last over saw Joginder Sharma bowl instead of the experienced Harbhajan Singh. Joginder Sharma dismissed Misbah-ul-Haq, securing India's victory as Pakistan finished at 152 runs. Irfan Pathan's 3 wickets for 16 runs in 4 overs played a significant role in India's win.
One of the most memorable moments, for all the cricket fans, was Yuvraj Singh's 6 sixes in an over of Stuart Broad. Yuvraj Singh had set the tone for the Indian team that this young Indian team is not going back down. Yuvraj Singh's performance against England where he scored 50 runs in 12 balls is a World record.
India went on to dominate the World Champion Australian team in the semi finals, where Yuvraj scored 70 runs in 30 balls. Yuvraj was awarded the Player of the tournament.
India faced several challenges in their quest for cricket's top honour, the World Cup. The last victory was in 1983 under Kapil Dev's leadership. In recent years, the team experienced significant setbacks, including a loss in the 2003 ODI World Cup final against Australia and an early exit in the 2007 ODI World Cup during the group stage.
These defeats motivated the team to strive harder for the trophy.
India won their next World Cup in 2024 after 17 years under the leadership of Rohit Sharma.
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