Description

On 2 April 2011, after twenty eight years, the Cricket World Cup returned to India when Dhoni s boys beat SriLanka in a nail-biting finish that ended in a shower of champagne and confetti. They had started the tournament as favourites, but in the early stages, the Indian team had appeared shaky, barely holding their own against even the less fancied teams. Then came the turning point Pakistan beat Australia, ending their decade-long supremacy in one-day cricket, and India knew they could do it too. Led by their captain cool, they first took on Pakistan in Mohali and then Sri Lanka in Mumbai with nerves of steel and a palpable belief in their own ability to fight to the finish. Suresh Menon, easily one of India s best cricket writers, relives the roller-coaster that was the 2011 World Cup for us, taking us through the highlights, the disappointments and doubts as well as the triumphs. From that last six of Dhoni s that won India the final to the transformation of Yuvraj Singh, he puts together the different pieces, small and big, that combined to make it one of the most exhilarating events in India s sporting history.