T20 World Cup 2021: 3 stars who played in India vs. Pakistan 2007 Final and are playing in 2021 T20 WC

14 years have passed since the inaugural edition of the ICC T20 World Cup. South Africa hosted a fantastic tournament across 12 days, where the Indian team emerged as champions.

Now in 2021, the UAE and Oman are playing host to the ICC T20 World Cup. The Round 1 of the competition has almost ended, and all eyes will be on the Super 12 matches now. Inaugural champions India will kick off their campaign against Pakistan, the runners-up of the 2007 T20 World Cup.

The two arch-rivals will go head-to-head on October 24, 2021, more than 14 years after their ICC T20 World Cup 2007 final. Many players who participated in that historic game have now retired. However, the following three players are still active and will likely play in the upcoming big game.

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#1 Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma played a valuable knock of 30 runs in the inaugural ICC T20 World Cup Final

Rohit Sharma, vice-captain of this year's Indian squad, made his T20I debut during the inaugural T20 World Cup. He got an opportunity to play in a World Cup final very early in his career. Although Sharma did not have enough experience back then, he played a fantastic innings under pressure.

Sharma came out to bat at number six after Umar Gul got rid of both Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni. However, Rohit did not let the pressure affect him and scored 30 runs off 16 deliveries to guide Team India to 157/5 in their 20 overs. His two fours and a six made a huge difference as India won by five runs.

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#2 Mohammad Hafeez

Veteran all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez opened the innings for Pakistan in the inaugural ICC T20 World Cup Final. Hafeez failed to score big and departed for the dressing room after losing his wicket to RP Singh. The right-handed batter managed only a solitary run in the big game.

Hafeez bowled three overs of right-arm off-spin in the first innings, where he conceded 25 runs. None of the Indian batters lost their wickets to Hafeez. The all-rounder will look forward to bringing his experience to the fore and performing well for his country in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2021 match.

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#3 Shoaib Malik

'Ageless' Shoaib Malik captained Pakistan in the inaugural T20 World Cup final against India. Malik could not play his natural game that day. He did not bowl a single over, and in the second innings, the veteran all-rounder scored only eight runs off 17 deliveries.

Malik was not initially picked in Pakistan's T20 World Cup 2021 squad. However, a last-minute injury to Sohaib Maqsood ensured that Pakistan's first-ever T20 World Cup skipper would don the green jersey once again at the mega event.

It will be interesting to see if Malik gets a place in the playing XI for the T20 World Cup 2021 match against India. The game is scheduled to take place at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium this Sunday.