Published 23:23 IST, April 4th 2020
Suresh Raina credits unsung hero Gautam Gambhir for 2011 World Cup win
Suresh Raina fondly recollected the 2011 World Cup final night recently and gave Gautam Gambhir his long-overdue credit for being the hero in India's victory
Just a few days ago, fans across the country celebrated 9 years of India's great triumph in the 2011 World Cup final. The host nation won the world cup after 28 years and etched their names in history to be the first country to win the World Cup at home soil. The Indian team was led by the MS Dhoni, who stood up on the occasion, and finished the match in style with a maximum - a moment that fans can never forget.
Gambhir - The Unsung Hero
However, Gautam Gambhir who usually opens the batting for Team India but came on to bat at number three that night, is often credited as the unsung hero. Despite losing the bigwigs - Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar - quite early in the game, it was Gambhir who steadied India's then sinking ship with his brilliant innings of 97 runs.
His then-teammate, Suresh Raina fondly recollected the final night recently and gave Gambhir his long-overdue credit. Speaking to news daily, Raina remembered that there was pin-drop silence when Sachin got out but everyone remained calm. He added that the way Gautam Gambhir entered the field after Sehwag's dismissal was a clear sight of determination. 'Looking at his body language, I thought he would win us the World Cup,' Raina added.
Raina revealed that skipper MS Dhoni came in ahead of in-form Yuvraj Singh because he told Gary Kirsten that he could play Muralitharan well.
Suresh Raina also said that the turning point was Gautam Gambhir and his continuous rotation of the strike with Virat Kohli, which set up the tone for the chase. Furthermore, he added that both the players knew the importance of sustaining the left-right combination as next in line were Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni and himself. Raina said that the only area of concern was MS Dhoni's performance in the World Cup so far but he was confident that MS Dhoni would definitely deliver in the final.
The 2011 World Cup final
Chasing a total of 275 at Wankhede in Mumbai, the Indian team lost its heroes pretty soon in the second innings. Sachin Tendulkar, who was playing his last World Cup game and explosive opener Virender Sehwag - both were dismissed early by speedster Lasith Malinga, putting India in a tense position.
Gautam Gambhir then had a short partnership with then young Virat Kohli before the latter was dismissed by Dilshan while he was at 35. It was then skipper MS Dhoni, who took the onus of taking his team over the line in the final game. MS Dhoni stitched a century-long stand wit Gautam Gambhir to steady the Indian innings. Dhoni played a wonderful innings of 91 runs while Gambhir scored 97.
Updated 23:23 IST, April 4th 2020