“Dhoni finishes off in style, it’s a magnificent strike into the crowd…”
India was struggling at 31/2 in the 2011 World Cup final against Sri Lanka at a jam-packed Wankhede Stadium on April 2, 2011. It took only two deliveries for pacer Lasith Malinga to remove opener Virender Sehwag with a plumb leg-before. Sachin Tendulkar was next to depart with an inside edge pouched safely by Sangakkara. It was Malinga on both occasions.
But then Gautam Gambhir arrived at the scene and changed the course of the match. Gambhir, with his 97 (122), laid the foundation in bringing India closer to the target and after his departure, Dhoni took the wheels and drove India to a historic victory, one that was 28-years apart from Kapil Dev’s 1983.
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The then Indian skipper, M.S. Dhoni, smashed a stylish 91 in 79 deliveries and was awarded Man of the Match for it.
But perhaps the shot from the night that has remained etched in the memory of millions of Indians was the winning six hammered by Dhoni to Nuwan Kulasekara that sent the entire country on the streets for celebrations.
Reliving the 9th-anniversary of the glorious days, ESPNcricinfo posted the iconic photo of Dhoni serving the final blow.
#OnThisDay in 2011, the shot that sent millions of Indians into jubilationhttps://t.co/bMdBNFxggl pic.twitter.com/PIOBaLRRIH
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) April 2, 2020
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Watch the golden moment below,
Is this the single most memorable cricket shot ever?pic.twitter.com/fA9KL8Y8Jg
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) April 2, 2020
However, Gautam Gambhir seemed to be fuming on social media over the same after a leading web portal recalled the iconic moment in India’s cricket history. He slammed at them and went on to say that the World Cup was won by the entire country and also highlighted the efforts of the support staff.
Gambhir tweeted quoting the ESPNcricinfo,
“Just a reminder: #worldcup2011 was won by entire India, entire Indian team & all support staff. High time you hit your obsession for a SIX.”
Below is the tweet:
Just a reminder @ESPNcricinfo: #worldcup2011 was won by entire India, entire Indian team & all support staff. High time you hit your obsession for a SIX. pic.twitter.com/WPRPQdfJrV
— Gautam Gambhir (@GautamGambhir) April 2, 2020
Gambhir’s tweet divided netizens. Many came in support of the former cricketer.
Yes sir you were the Hero! pic.twitter.com/pWLm5KOhq9
— Isolated Satvik (@KediaSatvik) April 2, 2020
He never gets credits for his performance…Gautam Gambhir played a major role in the victory.
— Leo Messi // ಲಿಯೋ ಮೆಸ್ಸಿ (@leomessi_goat) April 2, 2020
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♥️♥️ pic.twitter.com/TywIbFKYZc
— Lovish 💯🔙 (@itsLovish143) April 2, 2020
No one can match ur dedication champ 🙌🙏🙏🙏❤️❤️❤️
This is much better than u shared pic.twitter.com/pGeePKn4ka
— Kousik (Gautian) (@kousiks34307769) April 2, 2020
Gambhir is the architect for the game and Dhoni is the finisher.. Lets not forget others contributions throughout the Tournament
— Manideep (@AmManideep) April 2, 2020
Expect Dhoni fans, all Indians know the reality pic.twitter.com/3oKRUScgAm
— vineeth (@vineethdhfm143) April 2, 2020
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Without your 97 run, Dhoni wouldn’t have done anything!
— Manthan (@davdamanthan) April 2, 2020
However, many others believed that Gambhir’s tweet was in bad taste and ESPNcricinfo was only celebrating the shot that brought the cup home without actually undermining the roles of cricketers in the historic victory. ESPNcricinfo along with many fans were reliving the moment and not just Dhoni’s six, felt many.
As a professional this seems little salty mate, they’re just saying that this shot finished the game for India and we won. Of course we won World Cup with everyone’s contribution and everyone deserves the credit equally! You played a gem of knock that night,and people know that.
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) April 2, 2020
True. But they never said this shot won us the worldcup. They are only saying this shot took Indians into jubilation. Relax kijiye cricket ke Advaniji.
— Sagar (@sagarcasm) April 2, 2020
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Yes it was team won the tournament fulfilled dreams of billions of https://t.co/GxWb41hUSb is dream for any Indian to be part of the winning team Just like 2007 t20 Wc sreesanth catch this shot was moment which confirmed our victory
but being a teamate why so much insecurity ?— Adithya (@maheshaddict07) April 2, 2020
Sorry Gambhir. This will always be the defining image of India’s 2011 WC win. Of course many players contributed towards the team’s success in the tournament, including you.
This image is not about what Dhoni did, it’s about what this moment signifies to a billion people 🙌🏻 https://t.co/JXEwcHjvMD
— Shridhar V (@iimcomic) April 2, 2020
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