On This Day In 2007: One of the defining dates in Indian cricket history, September 24 marks the 18th anniversary of India’s famous triumph at the inaugural T20 World Cup in South Africa. Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s young Indian brigade overcame heavy odds stacked against them and proved their doubters wrong with a spirited campaign that culminated in a thrilling win over Pakistan in Johannesburg on this day.

After legends like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly opted out of the tournament and the selectors rested spearhead Zaheer Khan due to workload concerns, hardly anyone gave Dhoni and his men a chance to go the distance in an unknown format.

MS Dhoni’s astute leadership instilled calmness in an inexperienced dressing room. (Image: @ICC/X, formerly Twitter)

The Indian tea

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