2007 T20 World Cup final hero, Joginder Sharma announces retirement from all forms of cricket

Joginder Sharma, the man who played a major role in the final of the inaugural edition of the 2007 FIFA World Cup T20, announced his retirement from all formats of international and domestic cricket on Friday, February 3. Joginder successfully defended 13 runs in India's nail-biting Final against Pakistan in Johannesburg on 24 September 2007. Joginder Sharma brought the curtains down on a 21-year journey in competitive cricket. After making his List A debut in 2001/02, Joginder played in Legends League Cricket until September 2022. He also played under MS Dhoni in Chennai Super Kings from 2008 to 2011, picking up 14 wickets in 16 matches. The 39-year-old was serving as Deputy Superintendent of Police, Haryana. He was praised for his efforts during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Joginder Sharma played 4 ODIs and as many T20Is between 2004 and 2007. Incidentally, the medium pacer did not play another match for India after the T20 World Cup final in which MS Dhoni took a risk and gave the Haryana medium pacer the last berth. The gamble paid off and is considered one of the masterstrokes of Dhoni's captaincy career. Pakistan needed 13 runs in the final over with only one wicket to spare. Batting with Mohammad Asif, Misbah-ul-Haq single-handedly led Pakistan's chase of 158 after being reduced to 6 for 77 in the final over. After the equation was reduced to 6 runs in 4 overs, Misbah played a scoop shot in the third delivery of the over, which fell straight into the hands of deep fine-leg fielder Sreesanth. It was Joginder who picked the last wicket in the grand finale that helped India become world champions in the shortest format of the game. Joginder also bowled the final of the semi-final against Australia and took 2 wickets, including Michael Hussey and Brett Lee.

Sharing his retirement announcement on social media, Joginder Sharma said that his playing days were the best phase of his career and he is looking forward to new opportunities related to the sport. "Today, with immense gratitude and humility, I announce my retirement from all forms of international and domestic cricket. My journey from 2002-2017 has been the most wonderful years of my life for it was an honour representing India at the highest level of sport. I am grateful for the opportunities given to me by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Haryana Cricket Association, Chennai Super Kings and Haryana Government," he said. 

"I am excited to announce that I will be exploring new opportunities in the world of cricket & the business side of it, where I will also continue to participate in the sport that I love and challenge myself in new and different environment. I believe that this is the next step in my journey as a cricketer and I look forward to this new chapter in my life," he added.