New Delhi, April 1: April 2 holds a special place in Indian cricket history. On this day in 2011, under the captaincy of MS Dhoni, Team India clinched its second ODI World Cup title by defeating Sri Lanka by six wickets at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium.
This victory ended a 28-year wait for millions of Indian cricket fans. It solidified MS Dhoni’s legacy as one of the greatest captains in Indian cricket history. Previously, he had led India to victory in the T20 World Cup in 2007.
Throughout the tournament, Dhoni’s leadership shone, and he played a crucial role in the final, scoring an unbeaten 91 runs. His winning six is still regarded as one of the most memorable moments in Indian cricket history.
In the match, Sri Lanka won the toss and opted to bat first. They scored 274 runs for the loss of six wickets, thanks to Mahela Jayawardene’s unbeaten 103 off 88 balls and Kumar Sangakkara’s contribution of 48 runs.
India chased down the target, finishing at 277 runs for four wickets in 48.2 overs, securing the World Cup title. Gautam Gambhir scored 97 runs, while Dhoni remained not out at 91. Virat Kohli added 35 runs, and Yuvraj Singh contributed an unbeaten 21 runs.
Dhoni was named Player of the Match, while Yuvraj Singh, who scored 362 runs and took 15 wickets during the tournament, was awarded Player of the Series.
It’s noteworthy that India won its first World Cup in 1983 under Kapil Dev’s captaincy by defeating the West Indies. Twenty years later, under Sourav Ganguly, India reached the finals in the 2003 World Cup held in South Africa, only to be defeated by Ricky Ponting’s Australia. In 2023, Rohit Sharma’s team faced a similar fate, losing to Pat Cummins’ Australia in the finals. India has played in the ODI World Cup finals four times, emerging victorious twice.
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