Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan joined members of India's 2011 one-day World Cup-winning side at a party in Dubai during Season 3 of the World Championship of Legends (WCL). The News Mill places the gathering on the evening of 10 October. ANI, in a report dated the same day, calls it Friday night. The two accounts otherwise match: the host was the owner of India Champions, the team contesting the event.
Who gathered in Dubai
Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Yusuf Pathan and Piyush Chawla, all part of the 2011 winning squad, were there, both outlets report. Irfan Pathan, who played in India's first T20 World Cup win in 2007, was also present. The News Mill names the owner as Sumant Behl, while ANI names him Sumant Bahl. The reports do not quote anyone at the party, and they do not say what was discussed.
What the two campaigns share
The outlets use the reunion to recall two Indian title wins. In 2007, they write, India had an underdog run led by skipper MS Dhoni. The run they describe included a bowl-out win over Pakistan (a bowl-out is a tie-break used when the scores finish level), victories in the Super 8 stage, a semi-final against Australia, and a five-run win over Pakistan in the final. Players named from that team include Irfan Pathan, Yusuf Pathan, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh and Robin Uthappa.
The 2011 one-day World Cup, they add, lasted nine matches and finished on home soil with the six from MS Dhoni that settled the final. Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Yusuf Pathan and Piyush Chawla were in that squad as well. The Dubai party came while WCL Season 3 is still being played.
Where India Champions stand
India Champions began the season with a 46-run win over Australia Champions in Sharjah, then lost by 21 runs to England Champions. Next they meet South Africa, described in both reports as the table leaders and the defending champions, with AB de Villiers leading that side. The News Mill and ANI say he scored 70 off 39 balls against West Indies Champions and followed it with an unbeaten 111 against Australia Champions.
Both organisations publish the same India Champions squad: Naman Ojha as wicketkeeper, Ambati Rayudu, captain Yuvraj Singh, Yusuf Pathan, Irfan Pathan, Stuart Binny, Rishi Dhawan, Harbhajan Singh, Piyush Chawla, Mohit Sharma, Dhawal Kulkarni, Robin Uthappa, Abhimanyu Mithun, Varun Aaron and Pawan Negi. Neither report gives a date or a ground for the South Africa match.
The accounts agree on the players, the recent results and the next opponent. The unresolved points are the owner's surname and whether the party fell on Friday night or on the evening of 10 October.
