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Former Indian pacer S Sreesanth opened up on his iconic celebration after dismissing Matthew Hayden during the semifinal of the ICC T20 World Cup 2007 against Australia, saying that the celebration was "straight out of wrestling".
Sreesanth's celebration after dismissing Hayden, the third wicket down for the Aussies in the all-important semifinal while chasing 189 runs set by India is one of the most iconic moments of his career. Sreesanth sent Hayden's stump out for a toss and then slapped the pitch with his hands thrice, just like a referee does in professional wrestling while a wrestler makes an attempt at defeating his opponent via pinfall. Speaking on 'Cheeky Singles' on JioHotstar, 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 that semifinal, quickfire knocks from Yuvraj Singh (70 in 30 balls, with five fours and five sixes) and skipper MS Dhoni (36* in 18 balls, with four boundaries and a six) took India to 188/5 in their 20 overs. Despite a fine hand played by Hayden (62 in 47 balls, with four boundaries and four sixes) and Andrew Symonds (43 in 26 balls, with three fours and two sixes), Australia was knocked out of the tournament as they were restricted to 173/7. 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 massive popularity of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the coming years, with the first edition held in 2008. 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. (ANI)
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