12 August,2025 03:17 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
S Sreesanth (Pic: File Pic)
Former Team India pacer S Sreesanth opened up on his celebration after dismissing Matthew Hayden in the T20 World Cup 2007 semi-final against Australia.
The pacer bowled out Hayden and then slapped the pitch, thrice with his hand. His celebration was similar to how a referee does in professional wrestling, while a wrestler makes an attempt at defeating his opponent.
Speaking on the 'Cheeky Singles', Sreesanth said, "Many people do not know why I did that celebration. Matthew Hayden was a big guy, and I had clean bowled him. That is why that celebration was straight out of wrestling, where the referee hits the floor thrice before declaring you out".
In the T20 World Cup 2007 semi-final, batting first, Team India posted a total of 188 runs for the loss of five wickets.
Opening the innings, Virender Sehwag departed early on just nine runs. Fellow opening batsman Gautam Gambhir played a knock of 24 runs, including four boundaries.
Robin Uthappa smashed 34 runs, followed by Yuvraj Singh's fiery knock of 70 runs. The left-hander faced just 30 balls and smashed five boundaries and the same number of maximums.
Later, skipper MS Dhoni faced just 18 deliveries and accumulated 36 runs, with the help of four boundaries and a maximum.
This win held a lot of significance for a young Indian side, trying its best to help a nation of billions heal from a heartbreaking group stage exit in the ICC Cricket World Cup, and knocking out the then 50-over champion side filled with superstars was a big deal. Dhoni-led Men in Blue went on to defeat arch-rivals Pakistan by five runs to win the inaugural T20 WC, sparking a wave of change in Indian cricket as India's title win paved the way for the massive popularity of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the coming years, with the first edition held in 2008.
S Sreesanth took six wickets in seven matches of the tournament at an average of 30.50, with best figures of 2/12 in this semifinal. In his international career from 2005-2011, he took 169 wickets in 90 matches, with best figures of 6/55 at an average of 35.89.
(With ANI Inputs)
