"I knew he will come" - Muttiah Muralitharan on MS Dhoni walking out to bat ahead of Yuvraj Singh in 2011 World Cup final
Sri Lankan legend Muttiah Muralitharan recently revealed that he was aware that MS Dhoni would come out to bat ahead of Yuvraj Singh in the 2011 World Cup final at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Speaking at the unveiling event of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 schedule in Mumbai on Tuesday, Muralitharan pointed out that Yuvraj was not comfortable against his bowling. He noted that Dhoni, on the other hand, had faced him on several occasions in the nets during his stint with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
Recalling Dhoni's promotion in the batting order in the final, Muralitharan explained:
"I knew because Yuvraj (Singh) was not very comfortable to play me, although he was the best player in World Cup at that time, middle-order number four position. I knew because I was bowling a lot against him (Dhoni) in the nets in Chennai while playing in the IPL.
"So Dhoni knew how to play me very well. So I thought he didn't want to give any wickets to me because I was wicketless despite bowling well.
He added:
"There was a lot of dew at that time and we couldn't spin the ball much. Gambhir was there at the other end, so when we got the wicket, definitely I knew he will come because he knows how to play me very well as I've played for Chennai (Super Kings)."
Dhoni's decision to come out ahead of Yuvraj proved to be a game-changing move. The keeper-batter, who had a rather quiet time with the bat in the tournament, delivered in the most important game. He remained unbeaten at 91 to help the Men in Blue chase down the 275-run total with six wickets to spare.
"This is going to be a very interesting match" - Muttiah Muralitharan on India vs England fixture of ICC Cricket World Cup 2023
Muttiah Muralitharan went on to state that he is very excited to see hosts India take on defending champions England in the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.
Pointing out India's impressive record on home soil, he opined that Rohit Sharma and Co. are one of the favorites to lift the coveted trophy, adding:
"I am looking forward to India vs England. India are one of the favorites because they are playing at home and they know how to win in India. This is going to be a very interesting match and I want to watch it."
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India and England are scheduled to lock horns in match number 29 of the showpiece event. The contest will take place at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on October 29.