5 heroes for India in the 2011 World Cup triumph
The Men in
Blue lifted 2011 World Cup against Sri Lanka played at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
on 2nd April after a gap of 28 years under the captaincy of MS Dhoni which changed mindset of Indian team.
It was a team performance by the Indian Team who did not to
their potential as they finished second in Pool B behind South Africa. Their
only loss came against South Africa and one match against England was a high
scoring tie. From the quarterfinals
stage, India showed their class and helped Sachin Tendulkar realise to win a
World Cup in the 6th attempt.
Here we look at the 5 major heroes for India in the 2011
World Cup triumph
1.
Yuvraj Singh
Yuvraj Singh played a key role for India in the 2011 World
Cup triumph with both bat and ball. He contributed to the team’s success
whenever Men in Blue needed the most.
Depending upon the situation, Yuvraj Singh rose to the
occasion and helped India win matches. For his all-round contributions, the
southpaw was awarded man of the match thrice. In the quarterfinals against
Australia at Motera, Ahmadabad, he played a key role to knock out defending
Champions Australia out of the tournament.
With the bat, Yuvraj Singh scored 362 runs from 9 matches (8
innings) with 1 century and 4 half-centuries. During the last league match
against West Indies on 20th March at Chennai, the left-handed
batsman was struggling but continued to do job for country. His best score in
the tournament was 113.
He performed brilliantly with the ball by picking 15 wickets
from 9 matches (9 innings) with best figures of 5 for 31. For his all-round
performance, Yuvraj Singh was awarded the player of the tournament and helped
India win their first title after 28 years.
2.
Gautam Gambhir
Gautam Gambhir was simply sensational in the 2011 World Cup
win. He came at number 3 with both Sachin and Sehwag opening the innings. His
knocks helped Team India do well and create an impact on the match.
The left-handed Gambhir scored 393 runs from 9 matches (9
innings) with 4 half-centuries. He rose to the occasion in the finals against
Sri Lanka played at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. Chasing 275 runs to win, India
were 31 for 2. Gambhir came to the crease and played with positive intent
adding 83 runs for the 3rd wicket. He reached his fifty off 56 balls
which made life tough for Sri Lankan bowlers. He and MS Dhoni stitched 109 runs
stand for the 4th wicket before Gambhir was dismissed by Thisara
Perera three short of century.
Gambhir will be remembered for his brilliant 97 which led
India winning the World Cup after 28 years.
3.
Zaheer Khan
Zaheer Khan was the leading wicket taker for India in the
2011 edition. He took 21 wickets from 9 matches (9 innings) with best figures
of 3/20 at an economy of 4.83 runs per over. Khan finished with same number of
wickets as of Shahid Afridi but due to economy, Zaheer came second in leading
wicket takers in the tournament.
In their 2nd match against England at M
Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore, India posted a massive total of 338. Thanks to
Andrew Strauss and Ian Bell partnership, England looked in complete control,
then Zaheer took wickets of Bell, Strauss and Collingwood to bring back India
into the match. He finished with figures of 3 for 64. Despite his efforts, the
match ended in a tie.
4.
Sachin Tendulkar
The little master Sachin Tendulkar realised of winning his
first World Cup on home soil. He gave flying starts to the team along with
Virender Sehwag and helped Team India post big totals.
He finished as the 2nd leading run getter in the
tournament with 482 runs from 9 matches (9 innings) with 2 centuries and 2
half-centuries. His best score in the tournament came against England at M
Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore on 27th February.
Sachin Tendulkar played an important knock in the
semi-finals against arch-rivals Pakistan on 30th March. He was
dropped 3 to 4 times and then was saved by DRS as the ball went down leg. He
scored 85 off 115 balls. Vital contribution from Suresh and MS Dhoni helped
India post 260 for 9. In reply, India bowled out Pakistan for 231 in 49.5
overs. For his match winning 85, Sachin Tendulkar won the man of the match.
5.
Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan created an impact for India in the 2011 World Cup
win. He took 9 wickets from 9 matches (9 innings) with an economy of 4.48 runs
per over. During the 2011 World Cup, Singh best figures were 3 for 53 in 9
overs which came against South Africa at Jamtha, Nagpur on 12th
March.
Despite lack of picking wickets, Singh bowled with control
and did not allow opponents to score runs easily. In the semi-finals against
Pakistan played at PCA Stadium, Mohali, he took important wickets of Umar Akmal
and Shahid Afridi which titled the match in favour of India. He finished with
figures of 2 for 43. India won the match by 29 runs to reach into the finals.
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