Published 16:25 IST, April 5th 2020
It was Sachin! Tendulkar reveals it was he who prompted MS Dhoni's WC2011 batting switch
Indian cricket great Sachin Tendulkar revealed that it was he who had suggested to MS Dhoni about promoting himself up the order, in the 2011 World Cup final
In a significant revelation, Indian cricket great Sachin Tendulkar revealed that it was he who had suggested to MS Dhoni to promote himself up the order, in the 2011 World Cup final. It was a move that turned out to play a pivotal role in India winning the match. Dhoni got stuck in and was later joined by Yuvraj after Gambhir got out three runs short of a century. The pair put up an unbeaten 54-run stand with Dhoni slamming 91 off 79 balls. He ended the match with the now-iconic six over long-on.
Speaking to a leading news daily, Tendulkar recalled the historic moment alongside his batting partner Virender Sehwag and stated that with Gautam Gambhir's brilliant batting, someone like Dhoni could have played the role on an anchor by rotating the strike.
Furthermore, the Master Blaster stated that he had asked Sehwag to just go out into the balcony between the overs to convey this message to MS Dhoni and come back fast before the next over begins.
Gautam Gambhir had scored a brilliant 97 run knock, as he was joined by Dhoni after Kohli was sent packing. Meanwhile, Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been on a sabbatical ever since Team India's heartbreaking 2019 World Cup semi-final loss at the hands of New Zealand in July last year.
'An emotional win for the entire nation': Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Tendulkar came forward and revealed what made India's 2011 World Cup triumph more special. It so happened that Laureus of which the Master Blaster is a member had posted a very emotional image of the Little Master hugging star all-rounder, Yuvraj Singh, after Team India's world title triumph on April 2, 2011. Laureus also mentioned that it was a little throwback to put a smile on the faces of all their Indian followers.
After having gone through the post, the cricketing legend himself took to the micro-blogging site and wrote that it was truly an emotional win for the entire nation, not just the Indian cricket team which he was a proud member of.
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 16:25 IST, April 5th 2020