India has won the Cricket World Cup twice. Once, in 1983 and again in 2011. The first World Cup was won under the captaincy of Kapil Dev, and the second World Cup was won when Mahendra Singh Dhoni was the captain. Both World Cup victories are memorable for India.
However, the triumph under Dhoni, who is also known as Captain Cool, is more unforgettable. With this win, India not only became the first country to win the Cricket World Cup on home soil but also became the third team to have won the title more than once. Australia and the West Indies are the other two nations.
It was the 10th edition of ICC’s championship of One Day International (ODI) cricket, and the high-octane cricket match was between India and Sri Lanka. The venue was Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai (Saturday 2 April 2011). Interestingly, it was the first time two Asian teams had faced each other in a One Day International World Cup final.
The match
The Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara won the toss and decided to bat first! Sri Lanka’s total was 274 runs at the close of the innings.
In reply, India had a feeble start. The team lost their opener Virender Sehwag to the second ball of the match, (out LBW by Lasith Malinga). Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar, too, got out quickly. The next set of batsmen, Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli stabilized the team to some extent. They added 83 runs (in 15 overs) before Kohli got out in the 22nd over. Sensing the gravity of the situation, MS Dhoni, also called “Mahi”, promoted himself up the order.
He joined Gambhir, and they both added 109 runs for Team India. It is an Indian record in a Cricket World Cup. In the 42nd over, Gambhir got out for 97 runs. Men in Blue chased down the total and won the match by six wickets (in the 49th over).
For scoring 91 runs, Dhoni was declared the “man of the match”. Yuvraj Singh was awarded the “man of the tournament”. That one decision of Mahi turned the wave in favour of India. Undoubtedly, in 2011, Dhoni made India the world champion!
World Cup 2023 is inching closer and again hopes are high for Team India.