28 long years in the making and India finally had their hands on the Cricket World Cup for the second time in their cricketing history. The date 2nd April 2011 has already etched into the history books.
Who can forget India’s winning march all around the Wankhede, when Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan carried the great man Sachin Tendulkar on their shoulders which clearly implied that the Indian cricket’s next-gen was ready for the uphill tasks.
That MS Dhoni’s heist over long-on changed the perception of Indian cricket which definitely made India a supreme power in World Cricket.
2007 will forever be remembered for India’s unbelievable World T20 triumph when a young brigade under a first-time captain MS Dhoni proved their mettle to the world.
However, the year 2007 never started on a good note as India under the leadership of Rahul Dravid was completely outfoxed in the first stage of the ICC World Cup. In the three group matches they played, they lost two against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, and could only manage a solitary win against Bermuda.
That ouster pinched every Indian fan across the globe but World T20 triumph later that year proved to be a groundbreaking glory. Come 2011, India were hosting the World Cup along with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Playing a World Cup at home adds immense pressure as the fan’s expectations are always sky-high.
The preparations were in the right direction right from the first game against Bangladesh when Virender Sehwag‘s whirlwind 175, and young Virat Kohli’s debut World Cup hundred paved way of what is to come. Ever since the very first match, India never looked back and step by step they countered every opposition that came by their way.
No matter what the format is, but Australia is an unstoppable force when it comes to the ICC events. After making it to the quarters, India was up against the mighty Aussies and the match was supposed to take place in Motera, Ahemdabad.
Yuvraj Singh anchored the chase of 260 odd runs for India with and unbeaten half-century especially when the chips were down and India was looking in deep waters. He along with youngster Suresh Raina who crafted probably the most important 34* of his life might not look substantial in numbers, but that short innings had a lot to say.
And finally, it was the 2nd of April. Two of the hosts going head to head in the final at Wankhede was nothing short of an iconic blockbuster. Kumar Sangakkara’s Sri Lanka posted a challenging 275 on the board, and with the likes of Lasith Malinga, Nuwan Kulasekara and the wizard Muttiah Muralitharan, the chase was always going to be a tricky one.
India’s start was hampered by Malinga as he sent both openers Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar packing in a hurry. However, Gautam Gambhir had different ideas and with the support of his skipper who promoted himself up the order at no 5 immaculately translated ‘fairytales into reality’. India after 28 long years did the impossible.