We didn't know what to expect when we arrived in South Africa. We weren't the only ones in that situation. The World T20 was to be the first World T20 and the players were unsure how it would go.
We needn't have been concerned. India were to play all but two of their seven games at the three stadiums where the tournament was held.
When the team arrived in South Africa, few thought they would last seven games. Had India been allowed to have their way, they wouldn't have played in the World T20. Under the threat of losing the hosting rights to the 50-over World Cup, the Board of Control for Cricket in India relented and brought in a new-look side led by a first-time captain.
If you get the drift, he hadn't yet become Dhoni, even though he was nearly three years old. There were seniors in the form of Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh, but also a host of newcomers.
It was understandable that India's faithful but demanding fans had no expectations of this hotchpotch outfit because a far more experienced and accomplished team had been eliminated from the first round in the 50-over World Cup. The last time an Indian cricket team went into a World Cup with no pressure was at the turn of the millennium. Maybe that made a difference.
The other teams may have picked up on the nuances of 20-over cricket.
It may have helped that most of India's games were in South Africa, in front of Indians who were proud of their country.
It may have helped that the conditions in South Africa were right up the sleeves of India's new pace attack.
After being overlooked for the captaincy, Yuvraj took out his anger on England and Australia by hitting six sixes in an over and hammering a 30-ball 70 in the semifinals.
Maybe we should set that aside for now because twenty20 cricket is a lot about possibilities. India beat Pakistan twice in a 10-day period. The first of those matches gave the Indian captain his first win, and the second gave shape to him as he became the first Indian to win the T20 World Cup.
The Indian premier league would have been a runaway success had it not been for the World cup success. The ticker-tape parade from the Mumbai airport to the Wankhede Stadium on the team's arrival from South Africa was indicative of how much this triumph meant to a grateful Fraternity still smart The cricket was staying in India.
There was a sensational tie in the first Pakistan game. Pakistan responded with 141 for seven. The bowl-out is next.
In the T20 world cup match, India defeated Pakistan. There is a photo on the social media site.
Do you think the bowl-out will happen? Do you know what that is? The preferred method to break a stalemate was this one. Each side had to designate five bowlers who would target untenanted stumps and the team that hit the most times would walk away with the full points. Sehwag, Harbhajan, and Uthappa all hit the stumps, as India won by a large margin. We were told that India practiced the bowl-out at every training session and that the one with the highest success percentage wasn't even in the XI. It was the first sign that the rest of the country did not give India a chance.
The dream final of the organizers took place at the Bullring that is the Wanderers after India and Pakistan were drawn together. On September 24, 2007, a sea of colour and noise greeted the teams at the stadium. The final was an example of spills, thrills and chills of the 20-over format, with Misbah-ul-Hak standing between India and a most unexpected triumph.
Then came the masterstroke from the man. Last over was 13 to win. It came down to seven runs off three balls. Misbah paid the ultimate penalty when he was snaffled by short fine-leg by Sreesanth after hitting furiously down the ground. India sneaked home by five runs in a cruel end to a dream.
Before the dust settled, Dhoni sprinted across the ground, sought out a young fan in the crowd, whipped off his match shirt and presented it to him, and sprinted back bare-chested. We should have known then we had witnessed the start of a new era in Indian cricket.
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