3 Underrated cameos from India's 2011 World Cup-winning campaign
One piece of memory that will remain afresh in the mind of all fans of Indian cricket is MS Dhoni finishing off the final of the 2011 World Cup with a six, followed by, of course, Ravi Shastri's iconic commentary to sum up the occasion.
Nine years later, as we look back at the historic feat, it is but imperative to take cognizance of the many priceless contributions that went into making this 28-year-long dream a reality. Even if we single out a few of them, such as Sachin Tendulkar's gritty knock against Pakistan or Yuvraj Singh's all-round effort against Australia, all of it would have been for nought without other players chipping in from time to time.
Most of these aforementioned efforts go under the radar while the big performances hog the limelight. Therefore, today, we look back at some underrated knocks that allowed the Indian team to build on or to wrap up proceedings in crucial encounters.
All these cameos came in the crucial knockout phase of the 2011 World Cup and went a long way in helping India secure the title. Let's dive into the same without further ado.
#3 Suresh Raina vs. Austalia (34* off 28 balls)
Suresh Raina walked into the crease in this game with India in a cumbersome position. The Men in Blue needed 74 runs off 75 balls on a Motera pitch that had seen a bit of wear and tear. On top of that, the Aussies had the wind in their sails after scalping the wickets of the set Gautam Gambhir and the captain MS Dhoni himself in a span of four overs.
The onus was on Raina's partner on the pitch, Yuvraj Singh, who indeed rose to the occasion. But while the eventual Man of the Tournament finally began to accelerate, Raina supported him ably by keeping the scoreboard ticking from his end. With the consistent flow of runs, the duo never really felt the pressure of the required run rate and Australia failed to capitalize on their opportunity following Dhoni's departure.
Eventually, Raina managed to chip in with boundaries too and the task was made much easier. India reached the target with more than a couple of overs to spare and in a way, exacted revenge for the one-sided drubbing in the 2003 World Cup Final.
#2 Virender Sehwag vs. Pakistan (38 off 25 balls)
Batting first against Pakistan on a Mohali track known for slowing down as the game goes on, the impetus was on India to get a good start before the ball eventually began turning. Virender Sehwag, who had gotten used to starting the innings with a first-ball four in the 2011 World Cup, took matters into his own hands.
The Nawab of Najafgarh opened his account with an iconic cover drive against the bowling of Umar Gul – his target for the day – before going on to smash him for five boundaries in the third over of the contest. He managed a total of nine boundaries in his knock of 38. Sehwag was eventually caught plumb before the wicket by Wahab Riaz but he had done some of the intended damage already.
When Sehwag departed, the scorecard read 48 for one after 5.5 overs. The quickfire start allowed other batsmen like Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir to take their time on a tricky surface with the former going on to score 85, a knock that would eventually be one of the deciding factors in the game.
#1 Virat Kohli vs. Sri Lanka (35 off 49 balls)
It was the all-important final. Lasith Malinga had rattled India's hopes with two quick wickets. First, he trapped Sehwag before his middle and leg stump for a duck and then he scalped the Master Blaster himself, who knicked a ball to be caught behind by the ever-so-dependable Kumar Sangakkara, leaving the bustling crowd at the Wankhede Stadium in utter disbelief.
The scoreboard read 31 for 2 as Virat Kohli walked onto the pitch amidst dreaded silence to partner up with Gambhir and take India out of the rut it was in.
Arguably the best batsman in the world across all formats today, Kohli showed us a glimpse of his guile and class on that important night in Mumbai itself. He batted sensibly to eke out the ones and twos while dispatching the odd ball away for a boundary. He knew that building a partnership was key at that juncture and that's exactly what he worked towards, with the more experienced Gambhir taking charge.
Not once during his entire innings did Kohli look under pressure or out of touch which showed immense resolve on the part of the then 22-year-old playing such a huge game. The current Indian captain was slowly starting to look dangerous and had it not been for an athletic effort from Tillakaratne Dilshan to nab him caught and bowled, Kohli could have easily gone on to make a big score.
His innings and the subsequent partnership with Gambhir allowed India to recover from the early blows and paved the way for the latter's crucial 97-run knock. Eventually, the hosts found their rhythm with Dhoni chipping in with the most important knock of his career to help India raise the World Cup in 2011.