India is set to face Pakistan in the Asia Cup later today, September 14, 2024. However, the teams, interestingly, also went against each other on this very day all the way back in 2007 during the inaugural ICC T20 World Cup as well.
MS Dhoni was leading the Men in Blue in his debut run as captain, while Shoaib Malik was their arch rivals’ skipper.
While their encounter in the final makes for one of the most iconic IND vs PAK matches over the years, that is not the game we are talking about here. In fact, it is their group stage meeting from the competition, which was decided in quite a unique manner.
MS Dhoni led India beats Pakistan in Bowl-Out – WATCH
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❌ @SAfridiOfficial#OnThisDay in 2007 India v Pakistan at #WT20 finished in a tie… and India won the bowl-out! pic.twitter.com/sN2dZMyLN2— ICC (@ICC) September 14, 2018
India batted first on the day, posting a relatively low total of just 141 on the board at the loss of 9 wickets. Robin Uthappa’s 50, the skipper’s 33, and Irfan Pathan’s 20 were among the top scores from the side.
Pakistan were almost able to pull off this chase, requiring just 12 in the last over. However, the eventual champions of that T20 World Cup managed to hold them back to a draw.
This called for a Bowl-Out to decide the winner of the bout, which for those unaware, plays out like a Penalty Shootout.
Bowlers from both teams take turns to hit unguarded stumps, and those with more hits are declared winners.
India’s bowlers – Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, and Robin Uthappa, would each walk away with successful hits, whereas all of Pakistan’s bowlers – Umar Gul, Shahid Afridi and Yasir Arafat, missed the target.
The Bowl-Out, a very unique concept in the sport, would eventually get replaced by the Super Over as the definitive tie-breaker for cricket matches played in the white ball formats.
Check out: IND vs PAK Asia Cup 2025: Predicted Playing XI, Pitch And Weather Report
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