Former head coach Gary Kirsten recalled India’s famous 2011 World Cup victory and said he is really “proud” to see the team evolve over the decade since.
Kirsten, the former South African batsman, was Team India’s coach when they lifted the coveted crown at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on April 2, 2011.
On the 10th anniversary of the momentous occasion, Kirsten took to Twitter and revisited the wonderful day, calling it one of his career highlights.
Kirsten tweeted,
The 2011 World Cup was Kirsten’s last assignment as India head coach as he bid adieu to the team led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni on the happiest note possible.
Kirsten is hailed by the players of those times as one of the best coaches they could’ve had, with his positive influence adding to the health of the dressing room and creating an environment where the team didn’t just perform consistently but also improved as a unit.
Dhoni gave billions of Indian fans a memory to cherish for their life time when he smashed Sri Lanka pacer Nuwan Kulasekara for a six over long-on to win the World Cup final.
It was the end of a 28-year-long wait for India to lift the prestigious trophy, having previously achieved victory in the quadrennial event back in 1983.
Dhoni’s six also fulfilled the longstanding dream of great Sachin Tendulkar, who had played in five previous 50-over World Cups in his illustrious career without winning one. Following the game, Tendulkar called it his “proudest” day as a cricketer for India.
Sri Lanka had put India under a lot of pressure going into the second half, as a century from Mahela Jayawardena helped them set-up a target of 275 runs.
And it required two outstanding innings from Dhoni and Gautam Gambhir, who also batted tremendously for his knock of 97, for India to come out triumphant on the night of the final.
Dhoni was adjudged the ‘Player of the Match’, while Yuvraj Singh, another Indian ODI great, received the ‘Player of the Tournament’ for his excellent all-round performances in the competition.
