2007 T20 World Cup Documentary | Part 1

"India will never play the T20 format"—this was what the BCCI Secretary had to say. The 2007 T20 World Cup was just a few months away, and India and Pakistan did not want to participate in it. A World Cup to which India had sent its team out of compulsion, and even then, had not sent its senior players. No one had imagined that a tournament, for the organization of which merely a two-week window was provided, would transform world cricket—and especially India—forever. The 2007 ODI World Cup was a disappointing tournament—for India, Pakistan, and the ICC. India and Pakistan were eliminated from the World Cup in the very first round. The exit of two such nations that had the largest number of cricket fans was certainly not a good thing for the tournament, but that was not the only reason this tournament was a failure. This tournament received significant criticism for its overlong 6-week schedule—people were waiting for the World Cup to end; it was called over-commercialized, due to which crowds were simply not turning up for the World Cup matches. Many organizational failures were witnessed in it, such as making teams play cricket in bad light during the final match. After the failure of this World Cup, questions were being raised about the future of cricket. Indian and Pakistani cricket were also facing heavy criticism due to their poor performance. Nearly 5 months later, the ICC, India, and Pakistan had an opportunity—a chance at redemption. A World Cup in a new format was about to take place—the T20 World Cup.