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The date September 14, 2007 marks one of the most iconic games between arch-rivals India and Pakistan in a brand new format of cricket.
Before the Super over was introduced, the tied contests in a T20 game were decided by a penalty shootout-like event, known as the ‘bowl-out’.
Instead of footballers trumping past goal-keepers, bowlers had to strike the wickets. In the best of five trials, the team with the most number of hits were adjudged as winners.
The group stage encounter between India and Pakistan at the inaugural 2007 T20 World Cup in Durban, wasn’t decided even after forty overs of the game.
Both Pakistan and India scored the same amount of runs which led to the game being decided by a bowl-out.
The MS Dhoni-led Indian team practised the bowl-out drills to prepare themselves if and when the situation arose during the tournament.
For India, Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, and Robin Uthappa hit the bull’s eye. But, for Pakistan, the likes of Shahid Afridi, Umar Gul and Yasir Arafat missed the target. It led to India winning the bowl-out by 3-0.
Later, it was revealed that it was Dhoni’s masterclass which helped India strike the wicket thrice.
IPL franchises celebrate India’s iconic victory
Now, 13 years hence, three Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises decided to commemorate the Indian victory with their respective tweets.
#OnThisDay, 2007 – Robin's day out 👇👀
First T20I innings ✔️
50 with the bat ✔️
THAT bowl-out celebration ✔️#RoyalsFamily | #HallaBol | @robbieuthappa pic.twitter.com/rJNv5mvn0G— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) September 14, 2020
Sehwag ✅
Harbhajan ✅
Uthappa ✅#OnThisDay in 2007, 🇮🇳 won THAT famous bowl-out against 🇵🇰!#OrangeArmy #OTD #KeepRising pic.twitter.com/U6aT6940R1— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) September 14, 2020
#OnThisDay in the 2️⃣0️⃣0️⃣7️⃣ T20 World Cup, India beat Pakistan 3️⃣-0️⃣ in a bowl out, after the match ended in a tie after 20 overs. 🤩#PlayBold #INDvPAK pic.twitter.com/8RNA5U3Dak
— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) September 14, 2020
In the tournament, India managed victories over South Africa and England in the Super-Six stage, after facing defeat against New Zealand.
In the semi-finals, they trumped past the might of the Australian team. The ‘Men in Blue’ met Pakistan again in the final of the tournament at Johannesburg.
In the end, it was Dhoni’s men who held their nerves and went on to clinch the coveted trophy. It was India’s first major multilateral tournament win after the 1983 World Cup.
