Yusuf Pathan recalls support from Gautam Gambhir, Irfan Pathan and Yuvraj on India debut in 2007 T20 WC final

The inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007 turned out to be a memorable one for India as they won it against all the odds with a young team under MS Dhoni‘s captaincy. They defeated the arch-rivals in the final which went down the wire. The match is extremely special for Yusuf Pathan as he made his international debut in the game and went on to open the innings with Gautam Gambhir.

Virender Sehwag getting injured at the eleventh hour had opened the doors for him and was naturally nervous when Yusuf was told about his debut before the final. It was Yuvraj Singh who broke the news to him while in the gym. Recalling the moment, the Baroda cricketer, in a live session with CSK’s anchor Rupha Ramani, stated that the senior cricketers including his brother Irfan Pathan motivated him ahead of the big match.

Yusuf Pathan further revealed that he didn’t know that he was going to open and ended up smacking a scintillating six to Mohammad Asif in the very first over. “I didn’t know that i was going to open. I was in the gym when Yuvraj came and said, ‘what are you doing in the gym?. He informed me that I am playing.

“Younger brother Irfan then motivated me and backed me tremendouly. It was such a short time to digest that big news. Seniors motivated me a lot,” the 37-year-old said.

Gautam Gambhir told Yusuf to play his natural game

Yusuf Pathan scored only 15 runs on his debut but those many runs came off just 8 balls and it helped India get off to a flyer in a huge game. It was Gautam Gambhir, his opening partner then, who suggested him to play his natural game and not get bogged down by the occasion.

“Gautam Gmbhir was my partner at the other end when we opened the innings. He asked me to enjoy the occasion and not to worry about anything. He backed me and said to follow my natural instinct… It was a memorable WC,” Yusuf further added.