There are two kinds of people in the world. First, those keep working throughout their lives but fail to get noticed and the second; just need one moment to get immortalized in history.
Sitting at the top of the list of the second kind of people is Joginder Sharma, who will never be out of mind and sight until there will be the discussions and display of the Indian triumph in the T20 World Cup in 2007.
Joginder Sharma has been a work horse for the Haryana Ranji team. Since his Ranji Trophy debut in 2002/3 he has been an instrumental part of the Haryana team with both, the bat and the ball. He was in the news every season for scoring heaps of runs and taking bucketful of wickets. His exploits in the domestic circuit earned him the national call but he failed to impress in the limited opportunities provided to him. As a result he was not selected for the ODI and test matches for India.
He was just another one of those cricketers who come and disappear from the international scene without even getting noticed but then if destiny plans something for you itself, you can never be forgotten.
Joginder was selected for Indian team for the inaugural T20 world cup in South Africa, under the new leadership of MS Dhoni. He probably got the chance because of the absence of many senior players and his effectiveness as an all rounder. But none would have expected much from him.
With Players like Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni, Irfan Pathan and RP Singh in that team, one would have never imagined of someone else winning the match for India.
India reached the finals of the world cup and the game went right down to the last over. India had to defend 13 runs in the last over and Dhoni gave the ball to the inexperienced Joginder Sharma.
He had bowled the last over against Australia in the semi finals as well and had defended 22 runs against the dangerous Michael Hussey and picked 2 wickets in the process. Only Dhoni would know the real reason of handing the ball to Joginder.
Was it the lack of options, the intuition or his reputation in the domestic circuit to absorb pressure, we would never know. Joginder got a shot at the history and he made it count with some clever bowling.
He will always be there in each replay of that moment, his name engraved for ever as the bowler who won us the world cup.
Joginder Sharma could not extend his international career much ahead and it looked like that the world cup was the exact reason for him to have ever existed.
I cannot remember a single name in the world of cricket that got so much adulation in so little time. In fact, this moment earned him a job with the Haryana Police Department and currently Joginder serves as the Deputy Superintendent of Police.
Joginder continues to play for Haryana with the same vigour and continues to score runs and take wickets, along with performing his duties as a cop.
He has an envious record in domestic circuit and is surely amongst one of the greatest to have played in the Michael Hussey Arena but his single over in the world cup final from the 15 overs of cricket that he has played, will be the one he will be remembered for. Such was the moment.
Here`s wishing a very happy birthday to DSP Joginder Sharma.