Former India Team pacer S Sreesanth recently disclosed what was going through his mind before he took the catch of Pakistan’s Misbah-ul-Haq in the final of the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007.
In a video uploaded by Star Sports on the 15th anniversary of India’s T20 World Cup win, Sreesanth said that his mind was totally blank when the ball came toward him. He said that Rahul Dravid had advised him in 2005 to still blank in order to concentrate well.
Sreesanth said:
“A lot of players have made fun of it. While watching all those interviews, I used to think that nobody asked me what was going on in my mind at that time. I was ready for it. My mind was completely blank.”
“Rahul Dravid had told me this back in 2005 that the highest point of concentration is being blank. When you are looking forward and expecting something, you just perform when you are blank.”
#OnThisDay in 2007, @sreesanth36 took a catch that changed Indian cricket! 🤩
Catch up with the man himself as he talks about that match-winning moment in the inaugural #ICC Men’s #T20WorldCup Final.#TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/iCGAFCI79s
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) September 24, 2022
The summit conflict between arch-rivals India and Pakistan showed to be a thrilling encounter that went down to the last over. The Men in Blue ensured a momentous victory in the clash after Misbah-ul-Haq perished while trying to perform the scoop shot off Joginder Sharma’s bowling on the 4th ball.
Sreesanth fulfilled an important catch at short fine leg under pressure as India stated Pakistan’s last wicket. The MS Dhoni-led side was crowned champions, winning the final by 5 runs.
“A lot of people told that I would drop that catch” – Sreesanth
The fast bowler told that a lot of people think that he wouldn’t be able to take Misbah-ul-Haq’s catch at that important juncture. The 39-year-old, although, recommended that he would never drop such an important catch.
The former cricketer also stated that he hardly dropped any catches in his career. Sreesanth noted how he handled the catch initially but was ultimately able to grab it. The 2-times World Cup-winner added that he thanked God after effectively managing to complete the catch and added:
“I was very much focused and wanted to do well. I cannot control other people’s comments, but as a cricketer from Kerala, it was an opportunity for me to be there. The best thing that could have happened was to take the catch. Yes, I fumbled a bit, and I took it back. I was just feeling grateful. I told myself, ‘God, this is the best moment and I can’t thank you enough.'”
“Everybody had different opinions, but for me, what mattered was taking that World Cup catch. I can proudly say that I would have dropped four or five catches max. A lot of people said that I would drop that catch. But no, I would never drop a catch that is that important.”
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