Suresh Raina reveals why MS Dhoni came out ahead of Yuvraj Singh in 2011 WC Final
On the historic ninth anniversary of India's 2011 World Cup final win in Mumbai, all-rounder Suresh Raina disclosed the reason why MS Dhoni came out to bat before Yuvraj Singh in the final against Sri Lanka.
Talking to PTI, Raina revealed how Dhoni's confidence helped India take the leap and win the title. After Virat Kohli's dismissal, Dhoni informed coach Gary Kirsten about his decision to bat up the order, above Yuvraj Singh. The captain thought that it would be an ideal situation to go out since he could handle Sri Lanka's dangerous Muttiah Muralitharan well.
Dhoni would eventually remain unbeaten on 91 and scored the winning six.
“Seeing his body language, I thought he would win us the World Cup. Dhoni (who made 91) came ahead of an in-form Yuvraj, that was a big call but Dhoni told Gary Kirsten (coach) that he could play Muralitharan well so he went in. I still remember everything so vividly.”
Raina also revealed the name of the World Cup players who he thought was the Sachin Tendulkar of the bowling department. He praised left-arm pacer Zaheer Khan and hailed the southpaw's wicket-taking ability whenever the captain needed him the most. Raina opined how Khan was the lynchpin of the bowling attack and was aided brilliantly by all the other bowlers. Khan, with 21 wickets, ended the tournament as the joint highest wicket-taker along with Pakistan's Shahid Afridi.
He also credited Yuvraj Singh for contributing with both the bat as well as the ball in getting the team over the line and finishing off games. Singh, who endured a remarkable tournament individually, ended with 362 runs in 9 matches at a phenomenal average of 90.50 with included one century and four half-centuries. His 15 wickets with the ball made him an easy choice for the Man of the Series award.
“Whatever decision we were taking, it was all going in our favor. Zaheer bhai led the bowling attack. Everyone was talking about our strong batting line up but I would say he was the Sachin Tendulkar of the bowling department, getting us the breakthrough every time. Then the biggest contribution came from Yuvraj, who took wickets and finished games.”
Talking about the dressing room atmosphere, the former all-rounder reflected on the tense situation before India's chase in the final against Sri Lanka. He also brought back his memories of how different players coped with the pressure differently.
“Even though Sri Lanka put up a challenging total, everyone was calm in the dressing room. Someone was in the shower, someone was taking ice bath, someone was eating, yet everyone was thinking about the trophy, everyone in their zone and no one was talking to each other.”
Raina made a special mention of Gautam Gambhir, who steered an important partnership with MS Dhoni to script India's second 50-over World Cup triumph. Gambhir finished the tournament with 393 runs in nine innings at an impressive average of 43.66, with four half-centuries. In terms of total runs scored, the left-hander was second only to Sachin Tendulkar (482 runs).
“There was just one goal and that was to win the trophy. There was pin drop silence when Sachin paaji got out but we remained calm. You should have seen the way Gautam Gambhir (who made 97) entered the field after Sehwag’s dismissal. He was so confident."