On this day in 2011, the Indian cricket team lifted the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, bringing back the cup home after 28 years following team’s unexpected and historic triumph back in 1983. This is the most iconic moment of Indian cricket in the 21st century.
MS Dhoni was the man with Midas Touch for India. After the 2007 50-over Cricket World Cup debacle, in which India was eliminated in the first round after humiliating defeats to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, India looked for a new leader. Though Dhoni secured India its first world title in 24 years after winning the ICC T20 World Cup 2007 with a young team, something still felt missing. T20 cricket had just arrived into mainstream cricket back then. Though Mahi’s heroics with the young Indian team had a lot of value and paved way for a T20 revolution that was the Indian Premier League (IPL), the country still wanted the biggest prize of them all: The 50-over World Cup.
The 2011 WC was held jointly by India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Playing under familiar subcontinent conditions, the tournament was a perfect chance for India to secure the 50-over World Cup. India and Sri Lanka entered the semifinals by beating Pakistan and New Zealand respectively.
The title clash was held at Mumbai’s iconic Wankhede Stadium. The legendary Sachin Tendulkar, who had grown up playing in the maidans of Mumbai and had heartbreakingly fell short of a World Cup win back in 2003 when Australia beat India in the finals. In his sixth attempt, Tendulkar had the perfect chance to finish his World Cup career on a fairytale note.
Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat first. Though SL did not lose a lot of wickets, pacer Zaheer Khan managed to make pressure on in his first spell, dropping three maidens out of five oves, conceeding six runs and taking a wicket of Upul Tharanga.
The other top-order batters Tillakaratne Dilshan (33 in 49 balls, with three fours), skipper Kumar Sangakkara (48 in 67 balls, with five fours) and Mahela Jayawardene kept scoring runs at a good run-rate but India kept the Lankans in check by striking at crucial times. Jayawardene went on to score an unbeaten 103* in 88 balls, with 13 fours. Thisara Perera finished off the final over by smashing Zaheer for two fours and a six, taking 18 runs from the over. Sri Lanka ended their innings at 274/6 in 50 overs. Yuvraj Singh (2/49) and Zaheer Khan (2/60) were the pick of the bowlers for India. Harbhajan Singh also took a wicket.
India started the run-chase with their nerves really high, losing openers Virender Sehwag (0) and Sachin Tendulkar (18) to Lasith Malinga early in the innings, reduced to 31/2 in 6.1 overs.
Gautam Gambhir, the left-handed batter and India’s big match player, once again rose to the occasion. After T20 WC 2007 final against Pakistan, this was Gambhir’s chance to immortalise himself with a performance of a lifetime. A young Virat Kohli arrived at the crease, taking the baton from Sachin Tendulkar. Both stitched a 83-run stand for the third wicket. While Gambhir scored his half-century, Virat played what was one of his first gems under pressure, scoring 35 runs in 49 balls, worth its weight in gold.
After Virat’s dismissal, the skipper Dhoni, who had failed to do anything of note during the tournament with the bat, promoted himself up the order with a stage set for him to make a statement. Gambhir and him got India going and helped them cross 200-run mark but a delivery by Perera dismissed the left-hander for 97 in 122 balls, with nine fours. India was 223/4, still 52 runs away from the win with 52 balls left.
Yuvraj Singh, India’s best perfomer with the bat and ball, joined Dhoni and they took India to the brink of a win. On the second ball of Nuwan Kulasekara’s 49th over, Dhoni swung his bat to deliver the decisive blow, a massive six into the stands. India ended the chase with 10 balls left and Dhoni scored 91* in 79 balls, with eight fours and two sixes. Yuvraj was unbeaten at 21* at the other end.
India lifted the World Cup after 28 years and numerous phrases and scenes immortalised this memory into senses of every Indian, be it Ravi Shastri’s thunderous call of “Dhoni finishes off in style”, a victory lap given to Sachin Tendulkar following the win by his teammates on their shoulders or the memorial built by the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) at the exact spot where Dhoni’s World Cup winning six landed. Following the win, Virat talked about team carrying Sachin on his shoulders and he lived up to his promise, carrying on the batters’ legacy and inheriting the weight of expectations from millions. Batting with unmatched consistency and hunger, he would become to the next generation what Sachin was to older generations.
This tournament was an unbelievable all-round effort from India, as there were so many stars. Sachin Tendulkar (482 runs) played his last World Cup like his life was dependent on it. Gautam Gambhir (393 runs), Virender Sehwag (380 runs), Yuvraj Singh (362 runsand 21 wickets), Virat Kohli (282 runs), MS Dhoni (241 runs), Zaheer Khan (21 wickets), Munaf Patel (11 wickets) and Harbhajan Singh (nine wickets), all stepped in when needed.
11 years later, this win remains special to India. Though India won the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013 under Dhoni’s leadership, it is the last World Cup title India has won. It has come close to winning T20 World Cup, 50-over World Cup and the Test Championship numerous times since then, but the teams have failed to replicate the magic of ‘Class of 2011’. Will India be able to end their trophy drought in West Indies/USA by capturing the T20 WC this year? Only time will tell. (ANI)
