Published 18:10 IST, April 2nd 2020
Aakash Chopra believes even Gautam Gambhir deserved MOM award in 2011 WC Final
Aakash Chopra said that even Gautam Gambhir's match-winning knock of 97 deserved a Man of the Match award as well during a Q&A session on social media
- SportFit
- 3 min read
Former Indian cricketer turned commentator Aakash Chopra hailed Mahendra Singh Dhoni's iconic World Cup-winning six on social media. On Thursday, the Men In Blues' World Cup 2011 triumph completed nine years as it was on this very day that Team India beat Sri Lanka to win its second World Cup after a long wait of 28 years.
'Gambhir should’ve got the award too': Chopra
During a Q&A session on Twitter, a passionate cricket fan had asked Chopra that even though the image of MS Dhoni's 2011 World Cup-winning six is iconic, he wished that people should also talk about Gautam Gambhir's terrific knock of 97 which was a match-winning performance that almost seems to have been forgotten.
Meanwhile, the former Test opener replied by saying that Gambhir's knock was a Man of The Match performance and that the southpaw should have got the award as well but nonetheless, the Dhoni six would have been ‘that’ iconic moment. The cricketer-turned-commentator/analyst justified himself by saying that some moments are iconic and this was one of them.
The 2011 World Cup final
Sri Lanka who were playing in their second straight World Cup final had posted a stiff total of 274/6 in their 50 overs. In reply, India got off to a horrendous start after big-hitter Virender Sehwag was dismissed for a second-ball duck by Lasith Malinga. The Men In Blue were in a spot of bother after Sachin Tendulkar's dismissal as the scorecard read 31/2. Gambhir then took the charge of scoring runs and was ably supported by a young Virat Kohli (35) as the duo added 83 runs for the third wicket stand. After Kohli's dismissal, in a rather surprising move, MS Dhoni came out at number four ahead of an in-form Yuvraj Singh. The two were then involved in a 109-run fourth-wicket stand. Gautam Gambhir was castled by Thisara Perera for a 122-ball 97. However, it did not matter as the match was in India's grasp by then and MS Dhoni finished it in style by dispatching Nuwan Kulasekara into the stands as India won their second World Cup after a long wait of 28 years.
Updated 18:10 IST, April 2nd 2020