A 10 years for ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 has completed. MS Dhoni guides India to World Cup glory with a magic innings, smashing the winning runs with a huge six over long-on.
The winning moment was a fitting finale for a spectacular match between India & Sri Lanka with a pack crowd in Mumbai which put emotional ringer before the celebrations could truly get underway.
India’s greatest ever batsman was carried around his home stadium on the shoulders of his team-mates after winning the World Cup in his own city.
Sachin Tendulkar had produce a tournament-defining performance to get the team to the final, picking up the Player of the Match award against Pakistan.
First Innings.
Sri Lanka recover to 274/6 and Zaheer Khan’s remarkable opening five overs put Sri Lanka in problems with the Zaheer Khan going for just six runs in the spell and taking of opener Upul Tharanga who fell for two runs off a 20 deliveries.
Tillakaratne Dilshan (33) and Kumar Sangakkara (48) got the innings going but their dismissals put huge pressure on Mahela Jayawardene to deliver a huge match-winning score.
Mahela Jayawardene deliver is exactly what he did and finishing with an not out 103 and putting on 63 from the last five overs with Thisara Perera (22*).
Second Innings.
Gautam Gambhir and M.S Dhoni shine in India’s reply as some supporters even left the ground as a superb opening spell from Lasith Malinga had India reeling at 31/2.
Lasith Malinga remove Virender Sehwag (0) with just the second delivery of the spell and the Wankhede Stadium was reduce to silence when he had Sachin Tendulkar caught behind for just 18.
Gautam Gambhir came into and rebuild the innings also was join by captain MS Dhoni.
Virat Kohli fell to leave the score 114/3 with 28.2 overs remaining.
M.S Dhoni had taken the gamble to promote himself above the in-form Yuvraj Singh in the batting order.
M.S Dhoni thinks that he having a better chance to bat through Muttiah Muralitharan’s remaining overs and this gamble paid off with the skipper and Gambhir putting on a partnership worth 109 runs to give India a chance.
Gambhir fell to Perera just three runs shy of his century, but then comes the hero of the tournament Yuvraj play a steady 21* from 24 balls at one end and M.S Dhoni to guide India to victory.
What Captains Speaks :
Kumar Sangakkara
“I’m very proud of everyone, especially Mahela who rose to the occasion and put up a great hundred. Both Sri Lanka and India will be proud with the way they have played, but India deserved this title, the way they played in front of a great crowd. The only way to stop India is to get at least seven wickets. Gautam was outstanding and Dhoni stepped up and performed. Congrats India, you were the better side today.”
M.S Dhoni
“I took a quite few decisions tonight, if we hadn’t won I would have been asked quite a few questions: Why no Ashwin? Why Sreesanth? Why no Yuvraj, why did I bat ahead?! That pushed me and motivated to do well. I had a point to prove to myself. Virat and Gautam batted brilliantly; lots of singles. Then with the help of bit of dew we put pressure on the spinners. I would have liked Gautam to go on and get that big hundred.”
Virat Kohli
“Tendulkar has carried the burden of the nation for 21 years. It is time we carried him on our shoulders.”
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