For former left-arm spinner S.L. Venkatapathy Raju it was an “unforgettable experience” to run on the field to join the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led players after their magnificent triumph over Pakistan in the final of the inaugural 2007 T20 World Cup.
“It was terrific and you could feel it in the air, the deafening roar of applause after Joginder Sharma forced the dangerous Misbah-ul-Haq to scoop to Sreesanth,” recalls Raju, a member of the national selection committee then headed by Dilip Vengsarkar and comprising Sanjay Jagdale, Bhupinder Singh Sr. and Ranjib Biswal.
Despair to delight “When Misbah hit that six in the last over, we thought it was all over. Just as we were heading back, we heard a huge roar only to see the big-hitter get out, and the rest is history,” said Raju.
“It is a World Cup triumph and obviously you cannot hold back your joy. I think it was as memorable as Kapil’s Devils’ 1983 World Cup triumph,” feels Raju.
“Having played in two World Cups (50-over format), I know what it means to be in an event of that magnitude,” says the tweaker of yesteryear who was part of the team’s brains-trust in South Africa.
“No one gave us a chance as India was a young and inexperienced side, but full of all-rounders who could chip in with the bat or ball. In fact, the day I landed in South Africa when some media personnel asked me about India’s chances, I told them ‘since there is no pressure on us, we can as well win the Cup,’” he said.
Special efforts What was the impressive feature of that winning team? “World-class fielding and wonderful balance. Gautam Gambhir was the star with the bat. There were special efforts right through in almost every match, like Rohit’s brilliant innings against South Africa, Yuvraj Singh’s six sixes off Stuart Broad, R.P. Singh, Irfan Pathan and Harbhajan Singh’s spells with the ball and, most importantly, Dhoni’s captaincy.
“Everything clicked right from the bowl-out in the match against Pakistan when we had non-regular bowlers Robin Uthappa, Virender Sehwag do the trick for us,” he said.
What was the expectation when the team for the inaugural edition was picked? “If you remember the senior trio of Rahul, Sachin and Ganguly were not available.
“Essentially, we had to look at cricketers who were bits and pieces all-rounders and good fielders. We never thought it would turn out to be such a perfect combination,” recalls Raju.
“I reiterate exceptional fielding was a decisive factor in India winning that World Cup,” he said.
On the team’s chances now in the Bangladesh edition, Raju feels the T-20 concept has caught up in many other countries.
“It is more unpredictable now. Any team is capable of winning. You can’t have favourites,” he said.
