MS Dhoni’s future as part of the national cricket team may be in doubt with the selectors, but his iconic 6 to win India its second World Cup on April 2, 2011 won him a fan base that is loyal to this day. From “Dhoni finishes off in style! A magnificent strike into the crowd. India lift the World Cup after 28 years,” to “Wankhede, Mumbai. MS Dhoni ka winni chakka!”, Dhoni’s special moment has spurred enough memories, be it Ravi Shastri’s commentary after the final six or Deepika Padukone’s recollection of the moment in the film Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani.
The night of April 2, 2011 has many memories etched in the minds of the Indian cricket fan - from Dhoni’s six to Ravi Shastri’s energetic commentary to Malinga’s initial scare picking up two early wickets of Sehwag and Tendulkar. The win was special for India who had a poor exit in the 2007 World Cup where they failed to make it past the Group Stage falling to Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Dhoni went from having his effigy burned in 2007 to winning hearts in 2011, leading from the front and winning the World Cup, and in style!
The 2011 win threw open a whole host of opportunities for young cricketers in the country and the years that followed saw many young cricketers enter the Indian team and cement their position, taking Indian cricket to a level unseen before. Although the Indian team is much more formidable now, it has failed to win any major trophy in the 50-over format since, falling in the semi-final stage both in 2015 and 2019.
Going back to 2011, India didn’t have the best of starts in the final. After a shaky start, Sri Lanka went on to post 274 runs with Mahela Jayawardane scoring an unbeaten 103 off just 88 balls. Sri Lanka had opted to bat first after winning the toss. India’s chase had one of the worst starts after Lasith Malinga sent Virender Sehwag packing without scoring a run. With Sachin at the crease, Wankhede was hoping for the home favourite to put on a special display. After all, it was the 6th attempt for the Master Blaster. But Indian hearts were broken when Malinga had Sachin caught behind with India at just 31 runs. A 22-year old Kohli and Gambhir showed some resistance for the third wicket, adding 83 runs for the third wicket before Kohli lobbed a return catch to Dilshan while on 35. It was Yuvraj’s turn to bat, but the Indian captain Dhoni sent himself in at number 4.
‘Captain Cool’ kept his cool, chipping away at the scoreboard with Gambhir. The duo brought the pressure back on Sri Lanka and it all seemed to be going in India’s favour when and advancing Gambhir was bowled out by Thisara Perrera. It was Dhoni’s night from there on as the captain led from the front ably supported by Yuvraj. Few overs down the line, as if from a movie script, Dhoni launched a six into the crowd with a grin on his face as he watched the ball sail over the field and into the stands. It was a dream come true moment and one that will be remembered by many for years to come.