"Keeps a straight face all the time" - When Lalchand Rajput opened up on MS Dhoni's masterstroke in the 2007 T20 World Cup final

Many fans and critics believe that MS Dhoni's decision to give the last over to medium pacer Joginder Sharma in the 2007 T20 World Cup final against Pakistan was a gamble that paid off. Pakistan needed 13 off the last over with one wicket in hand in the tense final in Johannesburg. Seasoned off spinner Harbhajan Singh had one over left, but Dhoni decided to give the ball to the inexperienced Joginder.

Things did not begin well for India as the first ball of the over was a wide. Then Misbah-ul-Haq launched the second legal ball of the over, a juicy full toss, down the ground for a maximum. The equation came down to six off four balls and Indian fans were wondering whether Dhoni had got it horribly wrong.

Joginder, however, backed his captain's call by dismissing Misbah (43 off 38) off the very next ball. The Pakistan batter attempted a cheeky scoop over short fine-leg, but completely mistimed the ball, which went straight up in the air. S Sreesanth completed a nervous catch as India won the 2007 T20 World Cup by five runs.

Speaking to The Times of India in November 2017, former India cricketer Lalchand Rajput, who was the manager when the Men in Blue lifted the 2007 T20 World Cup, shed light on Dhoni's much discussed move to give the last over to Joginder. He praised the Ranchi legend's leadership skills and commented:

“In one of the team meetings, Dhoni told me that Joginder can be crucial in the last over as he can bowl good yorkers. But more than that, Joginder keeps a straight face all the time, making it impossible for others to know whether he is under pressure or not."

Rajput (63), who represented India in two Tests and four ODIs between 1985 and 1987, also pointed out that Dhoni had used Joginder in some of the earlier matches of the T20 World Cup as well and hence was well aware of what the medium pacer could offer.

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MS Dhoni's batting stats in 2007 T20 World Cup

In six innings in the 2007 T20 World Cup in South Africa, Dhoni scored 154 runs at an average of 30.80 and a strike rate of 128.33. The right-handed batter's best of 45 came off 33 balls against hosts South Africa in Durban, a knock which featured four fours and a six.

He also contributed 36 off 18 in the semifinal against Australia and 33 off 31 against Pakistan in the tied group encounter in Durban. The keeper-batter was dismissed for six off 10 balls in final in Johannesburg.