Picture Credit: AFP
The 2007 T20 World Cup was a landmark event for Indian cricket, especially when it comes to establishing strong captaincy in a backdrop of turmoil. The inaugural edition of the world event marked the beginning of the journey of India’s most successful captain MS Dhoni, having led the side to victory in his maiden ICC tournament as a captain. Ever since then the wicketkeeper-batsman's achievements as a leader had no looking back.
Recalling the iconic T20 World Cup win, former Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh made a startling revelation. The all-rounder went on to reveal that he was expecting to be named as the Indian skipper, given that the Indian side was shaken up, having just lost the 50-over World Cup.
Nobody took the T20 World Cup seriously: Yuvraj
The former Indian cricketer expressed that he was hopeful to be given the baton to lead the Indian team in the 2007 World Cup. “So, basically, India had lost the 50-over World Cup, right? I mean there was quite a turmoil in Indian cricket. So probably the seniors thought that they need a break and obviously, nobody took the T20 World Cup seriously,” the all-rounder mentioned while speaking in the '22 Yarns' podcast.
He revealed that given the backdrop, he was expecting to be named as the Indian skipper, however it was announced that MS Dhoni will be the captain. Yuvi further added that missing the captaincy didn’t affect his relationship with MS Dhoni and their camaraderie grew over the years, stitching many match-winning partnerships together, the most memorable being the one in 2011 World Cup final.
Yuvi’s phenomenal performance in 2007 T20 World Cup
Despite not being appointed at the captain, Yuvi’s performance stood unaffected on an individual front. The southpaw smashed 148 runs and took 1 wicket in 6 games, with many unforgettable innings. It was in this World Cup that Yuvi smashed 6 sixes in an over against England’s Stuart Broad to achieve a classic milestone, with MSD being at the non-striker’s end.