This day, 10 years ago, a billion dreams came true...
"Dhoni finishes off in style, a magnificent strike into the crowd, India lift the World Cup after 28 years, the party starts in the dressing room, and it's an Indian captain who has been absolutely magnificent in the night of the Final."
- Ravi Shastri
These words have forever been inscribed in the minds and hearts of all Indians. It's rare when a single moment like this can transform an entire nation into a sense of happy disbelief. For all cricket fans in India, this moment of glory was special… very, very special…
Today when I look back to that moment, the memories of jumping up in the air, high-fiving my friends, and celebrating on the streets flash in front of my eyes… It was a surreal feeling.
Fans were storming the streets with slogans of triumph and cheers of ecstasy… The feeling that India had won the 2011 Cricket World Cup was yet to sink in.
It's been 10 years since that epic final, and for someone who grew up in the 90s, seeing an Indian captain lift the World Cup was a dream come true. We came pretty close in 2003, were among the favorites in 1996, and in 2011, we were victorious.
Yes, we won the 2007 T20 World Cup, which was also a captivating moment. However, ask any fan, ask any international player, and they would always want to win the 50-over format more than the 20-over format.
Turning the clock back to the early 90s.
Fast-forwarding to 2011, and why it was the last frontier for a lot of fans :)
Winning the World Cup is every cricketer's dream.
Sachin Tendulkar was the heart and soul of 90s Cricket, and he went on to play 6 World Cups. It was not just his dream but an entire nation's dream to see him win a World Cup. In 1996, he was the talisman steering India to a place in the Final, but his dismissal brought down the house of cards. In the 2003 edition, he was the Player of the Tournament but was a runner-up. 1992, 1999, and 2007 editions were forgettable, and with 2011 happening in India, it was his one last chance to win the World Cup…
Almost a year before the tournament, there was a buzz among the Indian fans that this was the final frontier, and it had to be this time.
And to a large extent, that belief and desire were for Sachin Tendulkar. We all wanted to see India win the World Cup, and we wanted our hero Sachin to be a part of that team. Playing at home, final at Mumbai - the writing was on the wall but not visible.
India went into the tournament as favorites and demolished a spirited Bangladesh. Sehwag's 175 and Kohli's maiden World Cup ton was enough to surpass the first challenge.
A much-awaited clash against England took dramatic turns from an improbable chase to an acceptable tie. After a string of wins against minnows Ireland and Netherlands, India locked horns with one of the strongest teams in the competition - South Africa.
Played in the heart of India' Nagpur', India started brilliantly with both Sehwag and Sachin belting the bowling to all parts of the park. Sachin went on to score his 99th International hundred and his 6th in all World Cups. However, the late surge overs were abysmal for India, and they managed only 296, where the possibility of reaching 350 was on the cards. South Africa's chase went like a sine curve, and it all boiled down to the final over. Ashish Nehra had 13 runs to defend, and Robbie Peterson pulled off a heist. It was that moment in the entire tournament when I felt a lack of luck, a lack of magic… The batting was caught off-guard, and the bowling crumbled under pressure. After tunneling through the loss, India managed to beat West Indies in their last group game and qualified for the Quarter Finals.
Between 1999 and 2010, Australia was the most dominant side, characteristic to the great West Indian side of 1975 to 1984. Australia had won 3 back-to-back World Cups and was a serious contender for the 2011 edition. There is a saying that Australia will never give up the fight till the last ball is bowled, and that was why they were so good for such a long time. With quality players, inspired leadership, and rigorous training, they had a knack to win and win on big occasions.
India's quarter-final challenge was against Australia. The defending champions and, in my personal opinion, the most formidable team to beat in the competition.
Ponting won the toss, decided to bat, and scored a magnificent hundred to take Australia to 260. Chasing in big games is a psychological challenge, and India needed a good start. Both Sehwag and Sachin looked in imperious touch, and runs were flowing from both ends. The former got dismissed around the 9th over, and the latter got caught behind after reaching his fifty. Gambhir and Kohli stitched a small partnership, and a rash shot by Kohli made way for Yuvraj Singh. The game was wide open, and over by over, the runs kept ticking… And after that came a shock.
Gambhir got run-out due to poor communication, and Dhoni was caught magnificently by Michael Clarke. India was 187 for 5 with 74 runs still to get. Out came Suresh Raina, who was playing his 2nd game of the tournament, and Australia was one wicket away from getting into the Indian tail. I think this was when every Indian fan prayed the most. A resurgent Australia against India's last batting pair - it was extremely tense.
The partnership started with a few singles, and Yuvraj hit a few fours through the point region. Over after over, singles became doubles, and the target was getting smaller. Both batsmen were doing their part, and when Raina hit Brett Lee for a six over long-on, the tensed became relaxed. The final nail in the coffin was struck by Yuvraj when he drove Lee's half volley through covers - what a moment it was!!!
Australia was knocked out of the World Cup, and India had reached the Semi-Finals.
When a team reaches the Semi-Finals, the combined feeling of touching and missing the trophy emerges from the inside. India was going head-on against their arch-rivals Pakistan, who were the group toppers and had run an excellent campaign. More than Cricket, an India-Pakistan match has shades of patriotism, pride, and passion, and neither team wants to lose because of the immense media scrutiny. On a lush green top of Mohali, India decided to bat, and the master was at work. Sachin Tendulkar consolidated partnerships along the way, and with Raina's late surge, India managed to post 260. The game was nicely balanced with a tad towards Pakistan, and the Indian bowling contingent came out with an arduous task on their shoulders.
Pakistan got off to a brisk start. Both Kamran and Hafeez were timing the ball nicely, and it was the ideal beginning for them. Dhoni brought back Zaheer for a new spell, and Kamran squeezed it towards the point region, straight into the hands of Yuvraj Singh. The first wicket was down, and a glimmer of life came back for the Indian fans. Shortly after that, Hafeez got out to a poor shot, Shafiq and Younus were plucked by Yuvraj. Umar Akmal started playing his shots and was beginning to take the game away from India when we saw the best wicket of the World Cup. Harbhajan Singh came around the wicket, pitched the ball on the middle-and-off stump, the ball held its line, and knocked the top of the off-stump. Umar Akmal was stunned, Dhoni was elated, and the entire Indian team knew the importance of that wicket. Soon after that, Razzaq was bowled by a dream delivery from Munaf. It all came down to Misbah and Afridi, who started scoring in boundaries. It's a common understanding that till Afridi is at the crease, every run chase is possible. So, when Afridi skied one in the air off the bowling of Harbhajan, a billion hearts momentarily stopped till the time Sehwag completed the catch. Misbah tried, but the task at hand was tough, and India overcame the Semi-Final challenge, beating Pakistan for the 5th time in World Cups. It was an exciting game for the neutral, and India was in the World Cup Finals. Once again, we all fans were remembering the feeling of the 2003 World Cup and were wishing for a change in destiny.
And we come to April 2nd, 2011… World Cup Final between India and Sri Lanka.
Like India, Sri Lanka's road to journey was full of domination, with Dilshan and Tharanga in tremendous form. Dilshan went on to become the highest run-getter of the tournament. After a controversial double toss, Sri Lanka decided to bat, and India struck early with a sharp catch by Sehwag. Dilshan followed after some time, but it was the duo of Sanga and Jayawardene that resurrected the innings. Jayawardene went on to score a superb 100, and cameos from Kulasekara and Perera took Sri Lanka to a formidable 273. A score like that in any final is challenging, and with the pressure of a World Cup, playing in front of the home crowd, that score was nothing short of 350. At the mid-innings stage, the odds were against India, and the situation worsened when Sehwag got out for a duck. Soon after that, India saw its star Sachin knick one to Sanga, and the hopes of winning the World Cup started to look glimmer and glimmer. Still glued to the television, Indian fans kept up their spirits and patiently saw Gambhir and Kohli stitch together a key partnership. The pair added 83 runs for the 3rd wicket before Kohli got snapped by a brilliant catch by Dilshan. The entire nation was waiting for India's best player of the tournament, Yuvraj Singh, to stride out, but out came an out-of-form MS Dhoni. My first reaction upon seeing him come out was about the right-hand, left-hand combination and the next thought was the off-spinners of Sri Lanka (Murali, Randiv, and Dilshan). Great leaders have a keen sense of judging situations and backing themselves in crucial moments. MSD came out with a purpose and dominated the bowling. He ran between the wickets hard, punched spinners through the covers, and cut seamers over point. Gambhir scored a magnificent 97 and missed the ton by playing a rash shot to give Sri Lanka an outside chance. Out came Yuvraj, ready to take India close to victory. In all the years leading up to the World Cup, this pair of Dhoni and Yuvraj took India to numerous victories via their run-chasing abilities. With every run, the cheers were getting louder, and the highest point of the game happened when the entire stadium started singing 'Vande Mataram' - oh, I wish I could have been there to see it live…
With just 4 runs left to win, the inevitable was about to happen, and I remember I had my eyes fixated on the television. Nuwan Kulasekara ran in and bowled a half-volley, and MS Dhoni deposited the ball into the long-on stands to complete a historic win. The entire nation erupted in joy, and the scene still gives me goosebumps.
India had won the World Cup, Sachin was a part of that winning team - the childhood dream of every 90s kid came true that day. I celebrated that whole night, cheering and partying on the streets of Bangalore, and it was a festival all around. The memories of that day are still as fresh as a daisy.
That same team collectively never played a single game after that game. Players like Sehwag, Sachin, Yuvraj, Harbhajan, Nehra, and Zaheer - who were part of the 2003 World Cup Final, never played another World Cup.
That game was a fitting end to a lot of famous World Cup careers… and the God of Cricket's journey of 6 World Cup appearances ended with a win.
The "De Ghumake" song by Shankar Mahadevan, the 'Chak De India' chants in all matches, Gary Kirsten's coaching and MS Dhoni's leadership, Zaheer being the highest wicket-taker, Yuvraj being the Player of the Tournament, and performances by every player - that's what it takes to win a World Cup, it takes a village!
No matter how many years go by and how many more World Cups India wins, the 2011 edition will always remain close to my heart.
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