The Indian Cricket Team lifted the 2011 World Cup against Sri Lanka played at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on 2nd April after a gap of 28 years under the captaincy of MS Dhoni.
It was a team performance by the Indian Team who did not perform to their potential as they finished second in Pool B behind South Africa. Their only loss came against South Africa and one match against England was a high scoring tie. From the quarterfinals stage, India showed their class and helped Sachin Tendulkar realize to win a World Cup in the 6th attempt.
Here we look at the 5 major heroes for India in the 2011 World Cup triumph
- Yuvraj Singh
Picture Courtesy: NDTV Sports
Yuvraj Singh played a key role for India in the 2011 World Cup triumph with both bat and ball. He contributed to the team’s success whenever Men in Blue needed the most.
Depending upon the situation, Yuvraj Singh rose to the occasion and helped India win matches. For his all-round contributions, the southpaw was awarded man of the match thrice. In the quarterfinals against Australia at Motera, Ahmadabad, he played a key role to knock out defending Champions Australia out of the tournament.
With the bat, Yuvraj Singh scored 362 runs from 9 matches (8 innings) with 1 century and 4 half-centuries. During the last league match against West Indies on 20th March at Chennai, the left-handed batsman was struggling but continued to do the job for the country. His best score in the tournament was 113.
He performed brilliantly with the ball by picking 15 wickets from 9 matches (9 innings) with the best figures of 5 for 31. For his all-round performance, Yuvraj Singh was awarded the player of the tournament and helped India win their first title after 28 years.
- Gautam Gambhir
Picture Courtesy: India Today
Gautam Gambhir was simply sensational in the 2011 World Cup win. He came at number 3 with both Sachin and Sehwag opening the innings. His knocks helped Team India do well and create an impact on the match.
The left-handed Gambhir scored 393 runs from 9 matches (9 innings) with 4 half-centuries. He rose to the occasion in the finals against Sri Lanka played at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. Chasing 275 runs to win, India were 31 for 2. Gambhir came to the crease and played with positive intent adding 83 runs for the 3rd wicket. He reached his fifty off 56 balls which made life tough for Sri Lankan bowlers. He and MS Dhoni stitched 109 runs stand for the 4th wicket before Gambhir was dismissed by Thisara Perera three short of a century.
Gambhir will be remembered for his brilliant 97 which led India to win the World Cup after 28 years.
- Zaheer Khan
Picture Courtesy: Hindu
Zaheer Khan was the leading wicket-taker for India in the 2011 edition. He took 21 wickets from 9 matches (9 innings) with best figures of 3/20 at an economy of 4.83 runs per over. Khan finished with the same number of wickets as of Shahid Afridi but due to the economy, Zaheer came second in leading wicket-takers in the tournament.
In their 2nd match against England at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore, India posted a massive total of 338. Thanks to Andrew Strauss and Ian Bell’s partnership, England looked in complete control, then Zaheer took wickets of Bell, Strauss, and Collingwood to bring back India into the match. He finished with figures of 3 for 64. Despite his efforts, the match ended in a tie.
- Sachin Tendulkar
Picture Courtesy: India Times
The little master Sachin Tendulkar realized of winning his first World Cup on home soil. He gave flying starts to the team along with Virender Sehwag and helped Team India post big totals.
He finished as the 2nd leading run-getter in the tournament with 482 runs from 9 matches (9 innings) with 2 centuries and 2 half-centuries. His best score in the tournament came against England at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore on 27th February.
Sachin Tendulkar played an important knock in the semi-finals against arch-rivals Pakistan on 30th March. He was dropped 3 to 4 times and then was saved by DRS as the ball went down the leg. He scored 85 off 115 balls. Vital contribution from Suresh Rain and MS Dhoni helped India post 260 for 9. In reply, India bowled out Pakistan for 231 in 49.5 overs. For his match-winning 85, Sachin Tendulkar won the man of the match.
- Harbhajan Singh
Picture Courtesy: Times of India.
Harbhajan created an impact for India in the 2011 World Cup win. He took 9 wickets from 9 matches (9 innings) with an economy of 4.48 runs per over. During the 2011 World Cup, Singh’s best figures were 3 for 53 in 9 overs which came against South Africa at Jamtha, Nagpur on 12th March.
Despite the lack of picking wickets, Singh bowled with control and did not allow opponents to score runs easily. In the semi-finals against Pakistan played at PCA Stadium, Mohali, he took important wickets of Umar Akmal and Shahid Afridi which titled the match in favor of India. He finished with figures of 2 for 43. India won the match by 29 runs to reach into the finals.
Special Note: Despite not having a brilliant tournament, the Indian captain MS Dhoni promoted himself ahead of Yuvraj Singh. He rose to the occasion and scored 91 not out off 79 balls, hit the winning runs with a six to erupt the Indian fans into joy.
