On this day in 2011: India lift the 2011 World Cup

India and Sri Lanka - Two of the three host countries had made it to the final to fight for the biggest prize in world cricket. On this day in 2011, all eyes of the cricketing fraternity, the many millions of cricket fans from across the globe were glued to the television sets as the two sub-continental giants were geared to go head to head. India were looking for their first world cup win in 28 years. The revamped Wankhede stadium in Mumbai was to be the theatre.

Having been knocked out of the world cup four years ago in the very first round had caused a wound so deep that only a win could heal. The noise at the Wankhede on a searing summer afternoon was so loud that the match referee Martin Crowe could not hear Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara’s call at the toss. When the coin eventually fell, Sri Lanka had chosen to bat in the decisive encounter.

The determination among the Indian players who took the field was apparent from the very first ball. The bowlers gave nothing away, despite the track looking like a batting paradise. The Sri Lankan openers were made to earn every run as the Indian fielding made sure nothing got through the inner cauldron. The Sri Lankan batting eventually cracked under the pressure. Going at less than 3 an over after 6 overs, Upul Tharanga edged one off Zaheer Khan to the first slip, where Virender Sehwag dived right to give India the first breakthrough of the game.

However, the Sri Lankan batting was not short on firepower. Tilakaratne Dilshan had been the man-in-form for the Lankans, he would eventually end up being the highest run-scorer in the tournament, and the middle order boasted a solid outlook with the two legends in Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene to follow. But the Indian bowling was relentless against the Lankan top order. Dilshan played one on to his stumps off Harbhajan Singh in the 17th over. Sangakkara was joined by a fellow legend Jayawardene and the duo set out at a brisk pace. Just when the partnership of 62 runs looked like taking the game away, India’s man of the tournament Yuvraj Singh provided a crucial break; Sangakkara looking for a cut but managing only a thin edge to a jubilant Dhoni.

Jayawardene kept fighting, putting on key partnerships as he held the innings together. First, with Thilan Samaraweera as his aide, the two added 57 runs for the fourth wicket, and then with Nuwan Kulasekara, 66 for the sixth. The tight Indian bowling in the first half of the innings began to show fatigue under the humid atmosphere. Zaheer Khan who had been India’s best bowler on the day and over the duration of the world cup was taken for 18 runs in the last over. Jayawardene brought up his century with a classic lofted drive over mid-off off the bowling of Zaheer. Thisara Perera applied the finishing touches with a cameo of 22 off 9 deliveries as Sri Lanka set India a target of 275.

India, throughout the World Cup, had been reliant on the dynamic opening duo of Sehwag and Tendulkar to set the tone. Sehwag had started off with a boundary in every innings. But this time, there was no boundary. He was trapped in front, off the second ball of the innings by Lasith Malinga; the review being wasted a sign of desperate hope by India. Tendulkar played a lovely straight drive off Nuwan Kulasekara that brought the capacity crowd at Wankhede to its feet, but soon he edged a cover drive to the diving Sri Lankan skipper. Wankhede plunged into silence, as did the whole nation. 31/2.

India needed to quickly shake off the initial errors and focus on getting the chase back on track. Gambhir was joined by his Delhi teammate Virat Kohli as the two set out quietly accumulating runs without risking their wickets. Every run increasing the Indian hopes. The Kohli-Gambhir twosome had put together an 83-run jog which was only broken by a brilliant return catch by Dilshan to send his RCB teammate to the hut. 114/3.

Sri Lanka’s trump card were their spinners who they were reliant on to choke the opposition in the middle overs. This day, they had three off-spinners in the legendary Muralitharan, Suraj Randiv and Dilshan. Gambhir had been fighting resiliently and Yuvraj Singh was expected to join him. He was the man-in-form. The rest of the Indian batting had floundered throughout the tournament. A middle-order collapse had become a frequent pattern. In walked Dhoni instead. A man who had contributed hardly anything to the Indian cause with the bat.

Dhoni’s decision to promote himself to No. 5 would prove to be a masterstroke

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One can only appreciate the genius or failure of any decision in retrospect. And the move to promote himself to No. 5 would go down in history as a masterstroke by the Indian captain. Gambhir and Dhoni kept the scoreboard ticking with singles and doubles. Dhoni brought up his half-century, but would not even acknowledge the feat.

The two players had managed to successfully navigate and evade the threat of the Lankan spinners and had brought India closer and closer to the title with minimal fuss. Gambhir had stealthily gotten into his 90’s. But a rush of blood, as he looked to charge Thisara Perera and smoke one through the off-side saw his middle stump castled with India still needing 52. Indian hearts sank a little. 223/4.

Out walked the man who had braved cancer, a man who had thrown up multiple times over the duration of the day. But, all he wanted was the World Cup and nothing else mattered to him. Dhoni had found an ally to take his team through, to realize a dream four years in the making. The calmness of Dhoni prevailed. The pressure which had been built up even though India were inching towards the finish line, turned into optimism as the runs required were down to 15. With a flick of the wrists by Dhoni, which lead to consecutive boundaries of Sri Lanka’s main threat Malinga, the optimism now transitioned into inevitability.

Dhoni in his trademark style hit Nuwan Kulasekara over long-on for a six. A rare expression of happiness appeared across his face, Yuvraj was on his knees at the other end. India had won the world cup after 28 long years, in what was to be Sachin Tendulkar’s last ever world cup. India had exorcised the demons of 2007 against the team that had knocked them out of that edition. The entire country forgot everything for the night and celebrated as there was no tomorrow. The elusive dream had become a reality.