India’s former majestic captain and legendary wicketkeeper-batter MS Dhoni took fans down memory lane as he shared the untold story behind his iconic decision during the ICC ODI World Cup 2011 Final against Sri Lanka at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Dhoni’s game-changing decision to bat ahead of the in-form all-rounder Yuvraj Singh left everyone stunned, but this call ultimately paid off for the Men in Blue against Sri Lanka. On that unforgettable night of April 2, 2011, India faced a daunting target of 275 runs.
MS Dhoni breaks silence on demoting Yuvraj Singh in the 2011 World Cup Final
MS Dhoni, known for his ice-cool composure, decided to promote himself to No. 5 in the batting order. And the captain went on to play an unbeaten knock of 91 runs from just 79 balls, smashing a towering six to help the hosts beat Sri Lanka by six wickets to lift the trophy after 28 years.
The former Indian skipper had stitched a 109-run partnership with Gautam Gambhir (97 runs from 122 balls) for the fourth wicket and 54 runs with Yuvraj Singh (21 not out from 24 balls) for the fifth wicket to help India successfully chase down the target of 275 runs in 48.2 overs against Sri Lanka.
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But it remained a mystery why Dhoni took that bold call to bat ahead of Yuvraj, who had been in red-hot form throughout the tournament until the recent event. Actually, MS Dhoni has now himself revealed the reason behind his decision which was not just about strategy but also about sheer courage, belief, and a burning desire to bring glory to millions of Indian fans.
Why did MS Dhoni choose to bat ahead of Yuvraj Singh?
With Sri Lanka fielding three off-spinners, two of whom had played alongside Dhoni at Chennai Super Kings, the former skipper felt he was better equipped to handle the spin threat at that time, and it had also offered them a left-right combination, so he took that call in the final.
MS Dhoni said at an event in the viral video: “Gautam (Gambhir) and Virat (Kohli) had a very good partnership, and Yuvraj was in form. Yuvi was having a very good World Cup. So, the tricky decision was whether Yuvi should go in or, you know, I wanted to… there was something in me; I wanted to go. The reason was simple; it was very experience-driven.”
The former Indian skipper continued, “If you look at the (Sri Lankan) bowling at that time, the bowlers who were going to bowl in the middle overs. Murli sir (Muralitharan) was there, Suraj Randiv was there, and (Tillakaratne) Dilshan was there in the part-timers, all three of them off-spinners. And two of the three off-spinners had played for CSK. So, Murli sir was with CSK, Suraj Randiv was with CSK, which meant that I had batted them a lot in nets. And it is said that it becomes a little easier to play off spinners for righties (right-handed batters).”
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MS Dhoni opens up about his iconic partnership with Gautam Gambhir in the final against Sri Lanka
Furthermore, MS Dhoni also opened up about his iconic partnership with Gautam Gambhir during the 2011 World Cup final. He revealed how their experience playing together during India A tours in Kenya and Zimbabwe helped them build a match-winning partnership in the final.
Dhoni felt their ability to run well between the wickets was crucial for India at that stage of the match against Sri Lanka. The legendary Indian wicketkeeper-batter has pointed out that the left-right batting combination was an added advantage against Sri Lanka’s bowling attack.
Dhoni also said that his familiarity with Sri Lankan bowlers like Suraj Randiv and Muttiah Muralitharan gave him the confidence to handle the initial pressure and set the tone for India’s chase. And that’s how Dhoni’s calculated decision brought glory and became one of the most memorable moments in Indian cricket history.
Dhoni revealed why he promoted himself up in the order in WC 2011 Final . pic.twitter.com/wjkoagIXGU
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