The Kolkatan had whipped his shirt off and waved it over his head repeatedly after India chased down England's 325 in the NatWest final at Lord's in 2002, largely as payback for a similar gesture by Andrew Flintoff in Mumbai earlier that same year. Dhoni merely made a young fan's day by offering him his match shirt after India's five-run win over Pakistan in the final of the Twenty20 World Cup.

It was a gesture that went largely unnoticed in the mayhem that accompanied India being crowned World Cup winners for the first time since 1983. It also went to show how much the team, and Dhoni in particular, appreciated the support of the fans. After all, this is Dhoni's first event as Indian captain, and what better way to celebrate his appointment than by creating a massive slice of history!

The Wanderers was nearly packed to the rafters long before the first ball of the competition was sent down, at 2.00 pm local time. There was a fair smattering of die-hard Pakistani fans, and a decent proportion of neutrals, but India's supporters outnumbered, and easily outshouted, the rest. A steady chant of 'jeetega bhai jeetega, India jeetega' grew into a crescendo as the climax neared. The tri-colour sprang up from various parts of the ground, waved with enthusiastic fervour.

Whether the fans derived their passion from the never-say-die attitude of the team in the middle, or whether the team fed off the energy and excitement of the fans, will remain a mystery.

What was clear, though, was that both sets were tremendously in sync. Pakistan could have been forgiven for thinking they were in Jaipur or Jodhpur, and not Johannesburg.

The familiar face of Shahrukh Khan did momentarily distract the crowd; it was then back to cheering the real-life heroes all over again. If Pakistan had complained that India had fielded a 12th man in the shape of the screaming spectators, match referee Ranjan Madugalle might actually have called for a hearing!!