India had never gone passed the semi-finals of a World Cup when played in the sub-continent. No country to have hosted the World Cup had ever managed to lay their hands on the coveted trophy. No country had managed to beat Australia in a World Cup knock-out game since 1999. No team had chased more than 250 runs in a World Cup final. But Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his men chose to rewrite history rather than quote it.
Chasing 275 under lights at the Wankhede is tough. And chasing it when the two most prolific batsman of the Fabulous 7 of the Indian batting lineup are back in the pavilion is even more arduous. Sehwag was out in the first over and then soon Sachin got out leaving India reeling at 31-2. But Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli steadied the ship, and once Kohli was out, to everyone’s surprise Dhoni promoted himself up the order and played the innings of his lifetime along with Gambhir.
Gautam Gambhir was just the anchor India would have wanted in that situation, first with an 83 run stand with Virat Kohli and then with a 109 run stand with MS Dhoni. It was a magnificent knock under pressure; holding on to one end and at the same time making sure India was always up there with the required run rate. MS Dhoni had been anything but convincing in the entire tournament, but Cometh the hour, Cometh the man! He promoted himself ahead of Yuvraj Singh who had won 4 man of the match awards and kept the left-hand right-hand combination going. Gambhir and Dhoni knew what the likes of Malinga and Muralidharan could do, but if there was a ball to be hit, they made sure that they treated it with utter disdain! Gambhir eventually got out on 97, playing a knock that deserved a World Cup final 100.
In the semi-finals against Pakistan, Dhoni chose to play the struggling Ashish Nehra ahead of R.Ashwin who had a fantastic game against Australia in the quarter-finals. In the finals as Ashish Nehra was injured, he chose to play Sreesanth ahead of R.Ashwin. This probably was a really good move, since although Sreesanth struggled, Ashwin could have struggled as well had India been bowling second, since the likes of Muralidharan and Suraj Randiv found it difficult to grip the ball with the dew setting in. One will now surely admit that Dhoni is well and truly the master of his own destiny.
For Sri Lanka, Mahela Jayawardene played an incredible knock of 103 not out to guide Sri Lanka to 274 which on any other day, in a high voltage pressure World Cup final would have been a winning score. He started off cautiously but then cut loose, even Zaheer Khan, the joint highest wicket taker of the tournament taking a beating. Muralidharan was playing in his last match and had announced his retired before the tournament had begun and how he would have loved to end the tournament on a high. But unfortunately he was not at his usual best and could not stop India from galloping to finish line.
The whole nation had waited for this moment for 28 long years. Sachin Tendulkar had been chasing his dream to win a World Cup for India for 21 years. As MS Dhoni hit Kulasekara out of the park for a six to seal it for India, the whole nation that had held its breath till then got one of the best moments of their lifetime. Tears in the eyes of Sachin said it all and neither could Yuvraj Singh or Harbhajan Singh control their emotions. The moment had finally arrived. India had won the World Cup! The young guns carried Sachin on their shoulders for a victory lap. It meant the world to each and every one of them and the same for each and every Indian in any part of the globe.
Behind all this is one of the most low profile coaches that Team India has ever seen: Gary Kirsten. He along with Dhoni that started the process 3 years back, and made sure that their ultimate dream came true. Kirsten had put in his papers and had announced that he had family commitments and hence would not be continuing as the coach after the World Cup. He indeed has left the team on a high. And like Sachin, even he was carried on the shoulders by the young brigade. To be a South African and to be carried on your shoulders in India is indeed a mark of respect for the man who behind the scenes has given it all for Team India, first taking them to the pinnacle of Test Match with the Number 1 ranking, and now with the world cup glory. Almost all the Indian players have gone on record to say how he has been instrumental in their careers, Sachin Tendulkar in fact wanting him to continue as the coach. There can be no greater mark of respect when Sachin says it!
India had played all the Test playing nations except New Zealand in the tournament, but had beaten then too in the warm up match. Yuvraj Singh was clinical in all his performances and went on to get the man of the tournament. India went on to be the Number 1 side in ODI’s. Team India dedicated the win to Sachin Tendulkar. 2nd April 2011 will truly be the day that no Indian can ever forget. Every wish was answered; every prayer was heard, as Team India touched new heights at the Wankhede. It’s now time for celebrations, time to savor the well deserved victory.
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