September 24, 2007 is still one of the most important dates for Indian cricket today. A young Indian team led by Dhoni defeated Pakistan by five runs in Johannesburg to become the champions of the first ICC World Twenty20.
The victory gave India their first major international title in the shortest format and helped establish Twenty20 cricket as a major force in the country.
India beat Pakistan in a Thrilling Final
The final at The Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg went down to the last over. India scored 157/5, with Gautam Gambhir producing the key innings of 75 from 54 balls. Rohit Sharma also made an unbeaten 30 from 16 deliveries.
Pakistan's chase remained alive until the final over. Dhoni handed over the ball to Joginder Sharma with 13 runs left and only one wicket to go.
Joginder conceded a six to Misbah-ul-Haq from the second delivery, but India responded immediately. Misbah attempted a scoop from the next ball and was caught by Sreesanth, giving India a five-run victory.
India became the first ever ICC World Twenty20 champions.
Dhoni's First Major ICC Triumph
The tournament was all about MS Dhoni who was leading India in his first major ICC tournament as captain.
Not all of the established stars such as Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid were included in the team. Dhoni was in charge of a younger group that included Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma and Irfan Pathan.
The success made Dhoni an important figure in Indian cricket. It was also the first of three ICC trophies he would win as India’s captain.
INDIA WON THE MAIDEN T20 WORLD CUP ON THIS DAY 19 YEARS AGO. 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/zs0dqGmnzH
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) September 24, 2026
A New Era for T20 Cricket
India's victory went beyond the trophy. According to the ICC, the 2007 World Twenty20 final attracted a worldwide television audience of more than 400 million people.
India's win was also instrumental to the formation of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2008, says the ICC. The tournament went on to become one of the world's biggest professional cricket leagues today.
The win also underlined the popularity of Twenty20 cricket and how fast it can be played in a short time (around three hours).
Why September 24 is always special?
The 2007 victory is remembered not only because India won the first T20 World Cup, but also because it arrived at a major moment for Indian cricket.
After India's poor early exit from the 2007 50-over World Cup, the young T20 team produced an unexpected turnaround. The team defeated Pakistan in the group stage and then met their arch-rivals again in the final.
