MS Dhoni Reveals Why He Came Out To Bat Before Yuvraj Singh In ICC World Cup 2011 Final vs Sri Lanka
MS Dhoni helped India win the 2011 ICC World Cup in Mumbai with a winning six that still remains etched in every fan's mind. Years after the memorable effort by the Indian cricket team, Dhoni opened up on why he had promoted himself up the batting order, before Yuvraj Singh, who was in great touch during the tournament. Dhoni, who remained unbeaten on 91 off 79 balls, was adjudged the man of the match.
"I knew most of the bowlers of Sri Lanka as they were part of the Chennai Super Kings earlier. I promoted myself because Muralitharan was bowling at that time. I have played him a lot in the CSK nets and I was confident that I will be able to score runs freely against him," Dhoni was quoted as saying by the Times of India.
"That was one of the main reasons why I pushed myself up the order during the final," Dhoni further said.
Since that tournament, Dhoni has often been seen finishing games for India in style, most of the times by hitting a six.
In the final, India lost both openers - Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar - early and were steadied by a 83-run partnership between Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir.
After Kohli's dismissal, Dhoni took the onus on him and forged a solid 109-run partnership with Gambhir (97) to motor India forward in the run-chase.
With 27 runs required off the last four overs, Dhoni and Yuvraj played patiently to move India closer towards the target.
And it was in the 49th over when Dhoni smashed a good-length ball by Nuwan Kulasekara for six to win the World Cup for India after 28 years.