India won Wold Cup 2011

Mahendra Singh Dhoni played a captain's knock of 91 not out after left-handed Gautam Gambhir made a masterly 97 to lead India to their second cricket World Cup triumph at the Wankhede Stadium here tonight, 28 years after they first won the title at Lord's in 1983 under Kapil Dev. Chasing 275 for a win, India made 277 for four wickets in 48.2 overs in a closely-contested final during which fortunes swayed first this way and then that.. Dhoni walloped a full delivery from Kulasekara over long-on for a mighty six for the winning runs that had the entire roaring in delight after some anxious moments. The team dedicated the victory to star batsman Sachin Tendulkar who, at 38, has played his last World Cup match after a brilliant career during which he has notched up every conceivable batting record. The Indian players carried Tendulkar and coach Gary Kirsten on their shoulders as they did the victory lap around the stadium. There was also a touch of poignancy, with another great player, spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, also bowing out after a brilliant career that saw him emerge as the highest ever wicket-taker. The Sri Lankan team had wanted to win today especially as a parting gift for Muralitharan, but it was not to be. Earlier, seasoned campaigner and former Sri Lankan skipper Mahela Jayawardene hammered an unbeaten 103 off 88 balls with the help of 13 fours to steer his side to a formidable 274 for six from their allotted 50 overs, and it was a pity that, despite that superb effort, he ended up on the losing side. At the end of 45 overs, India had made 245 four four and still needed 30 runs from 30 balls and the match could have gone either way. The asking rate went up a little, with 27 runs needed from the last four overs. Clearly, both sides were under enormous pressure, but Dhoni eased things a bit for himself by blasting Kulasekara for a four past mid-off. In the same over, Yuvraj slapped a full toss from the bowler to the mid-wicket fence for another four. Eleven runs had come off that over, and India now needed 16 runs from the last 18 balls. Dhoni picked up a slower one from Lasith Malinga and sent it to the square-leg boundary for four and despatched the next one, a full toss, to the same area for another four. With two overs to go, India needed five more runs. Dhoni settled the issue with that mighty six off Kulasekara. Dhoni was chosen Man of the Match for his oustanding innings under tremendous pressure. And, not surprisingly, the Man of the Tournament award went to India's left-hander Yuvraj Singh, who had been chosen Man of the Match four times during the tournament and had a great time with both the bat and the ball during this edition of the World Cup. India began the chase in disastrous fashion, losing opener Virender Sehwag (0) off the second ball of the innings, trapped leg before wicket by pace bowler Lasith Malinga. Sehwag was attempting to flick the ball but missed and got hit on the pads. The batsman immediately asked for a review, but television replays showed that he was well and truly a goner and there was no trace of the suspected inside edge. The other opener Sachin Tendulkar, looking for his 100th international century before a home crowd, made 18 off 14 balls, with two fours, before he edged Malinga to the safe hands of Sri Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakkara behind the stumps. He was trying to steer the ball through the offside. His departure made it 31/2 for the home team in 6.1 overs. Gambhir and Kohli had the responsibility of repairing the Indian innings and they put their heads down and went about their task with a sense of the burden that rested on their shoulders. The pair put on 83 for the third wicket before Kohli departed, caught and bowled by Tillakaratne, who literally plucked a blinding shot literally out of the air. India were 114 for three in 21.4 overs. Dhoni joined the well-set Gambhir at this stage and the two managed to keep the scoreboard moving with singles and twos and waiting for the loose deliveries to punish. Bit by bit, the two mounted what was India's highest ever partnership in a World Cup final. A single by Gambhir off Muralitharan took the side to 200, and the batsman into the 90s. At that juncture, India needed 75 from 73 balls for victory. Dhoni spanked the bowler past extra cover for a four that brought up his own 50. A wide delivery by Muralitharan brought up the 100 of this crucial partnership and Dhoni celebrated by smashing the next ball to the wide long-off fence for four. At the end of 40 overs, India were 221 for three. Gambhir slowly moved towards the three-figure mark, but it was not to be today. In the 42nd over, when he was on 97, he went for a needless shot and paid the penalty. He came down the wicket to Perera, moved outside leg and tried a big hit, missed the ball and had his stumps uprooted. His 97 came off 122 balls and inclued nine hits to the fence. By any standard, it was a superb knock and came at a vital juncture for the team in the most important of matches, but his exit in this fashion left the side a bit vulnerable at 223/4 in 41.2 overs. He and Dhoni had put on 109 for the fourth wicket. Yuvraj Singh signalled that he was not going to be cowed down by the situation as he pulled a short one from Perera through mid-wicket for four. In Perera's next over, Dhoni slashed the first ball, a short one, over point for a superlative six. In the end, Dhoni remained unbeaten with 91 that came off 79 balls with the help of two sixes and eight fours. Yuvraj remained not out with 21 off 24 balls, inclusive of two fours In the Sri Lankan innings, staying unbeaten with Jayawardene at the end was Thisara Perera who rattled up 22 runs off just nine balls that included three fours and a huge last-ball six. Though the Sri Lankans started out on a tentative note, after opting to bat first on winning the toss, they did manage to step up the scoring rate in the later stages and added as many as 63 runs in the final five powerplay overs for the loss of just one wicket. The Indians were left with the not-so-easy task of making 275 or 5.5 runs an over for a win. Sangakkara (48), Tillakaratne Dilshan (32), Nuwan Kulasekara (32) and Thilan Samaraweera (21) were the other Sri Lankan batsmen who got among the runs today. For the Indians, Zaheer Khan took two for 60 and Yuvraj Singh two for 49. Khan, who was very economical in the early overs, came in for some punishment in the later stages of the game. Harbhajan Singh took one for 50. S Sreesanth, who came in for the injured Ashish Nehra and was preferred over spinner R Ashwin in the team, conceded 52 runs from 8 overs without taking a wicket. Opener Upul Tharanga could make only two before he fell, caught at slip by Virender Sehwag off Zaheer Khan in a total of 17 in the seventh over. Tharanga had prodded at a ball that had been pitched on a length around the off-stmp and edged it to Sehwag's right. The other opener, Tillakaratne Dilshan, who has been among the runs in this tournament, made 33 off 49 balls with the help of three fours before he was bowled by Harbhajan Singh. Dilshan attempted a sweep of a leg-side delivery and the ball hit his gloves and got deflected on to the stumps. Sri Lanka were 60 for two in 16.3 overs when he left. Skipper Kumar Sangakkara appeared to be in control as he compiled 48 off 67 balls with the help of five hits to the fence. But he was out just two runs short of a half-century, caught by wicket-keeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni when he tried to cut Yuvraj Singh and got an edge. Once again, Yuvraj had got India an important breakthrough and the Sri Lankans were 122 for three in 27.5 overs. Jayawardene, who had added 62 runs for the third wicket with Sangakkara, put on another 57 runs for the fourth wicket in the company of Thilan Samaraweera (21). Samaraweera was trapped leg before wicket by Yuvraj Singh when the total was 179 in 38.1 overs. The appeal was initially turned down by umpire Simon Taufel but the Indians sought a review. Samaraweera, who had gone down on his knee for a mighty sweep, had missed the ball and television replays suggested it would have hit the middle stump. Taufel changed his decision. Chamara Kapugedera faced only five deliveries and made just one before he offered a weak push to a slower one from Zaheer Khan to offer Suresh Raina at short extra cover the easiest of catches. The Sri Lankans were 182 for five in 39.5 overs at this stage. Nuwan Kulasekara made a quick 32 off 30 balls with the help one six and one four before he was run out. The batsmen tried to steal a quick single but Dhoni, from behind the stumps, ran down the leg side and hit the stumps with an under-arm lob that found Kulasekara short of the crease. The Sri Lankans were 248 for six in 48 overs. Sri Lanka made four changes from the side that won the semi-final against New Zealand. Mathews, Mendis, Herath and Chamara Silva are out, and Perera, Randiv, Kulsaekara and Chamara Kapugedera have been brought in. Their idea clearly is to bolster their middle order. India made just one change, with the injured seamer Ashish Nehra making way for S Sreesanth. President Pratibha Patil and Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa are among the dignitaries and celebrities who had turned up to watch the match.