5 Unsung heroes of India's 2011 World Cup Win

On 2nd April 2011, India lifted their second World Cup trophy in the history of cricket. The showpiece event was hosted by India itself and they managed to get their hands on the prestigious trophy. Indian players had a dream of finishing the 28-year long drought. So each and every player gave their everything and almost in every game, it was a team effort.

Everyone knew about their roles and their importance. There was no doubt over the fact that the MS Dhoni-led side was way too strong and balanced in comparison to other teams. The best part was that they played like champions in the showpiece event. Team India got some tough competition from the teams like South Africa, England, Australia, and Pakistan during the tournament.

But, after a long hustle, they defeated Sri Lanka in the finals by six wickets to finish the long wait of Indian fans and Sachin Tendulkar, who was playing his last World Cup.

Dhoni was awarded Man of the Match for his unbeaten knock of 91 runs. On the other hand, Sachin Tendulkar, Zaheer Khan and Yuvraj Singh were also awarded for their contribution in their respective traits throughout the tournament. However, there are some players name that didn’t come in the spotlight. But, they also played a major role in Team India’s triumph.

So let’s list out the five unsung heroes of Team India’s 2011 World Cup-winning squad:

1. Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir, the former Indian opener’s form was a blessing for Team India in 2011 World Cup. He played at his best throughout the tournament. He consistently played some match-defining knocks for the team. And, no one can forget his flawless knock of 97 runs in the finals that didn’t only bailed India out of the early trouble, it set up the chase nicely.

He came out to bat when the hosts’ lost their in-form opener Virender Sehwag on the 2nd delivery of the innings. Soon Sachin Tendulkar was also dismissed by Lasith Malinga. At that time, Gambhir brilliantly stitched a partnership with young Virat Kohli that took the match away from Islanders.

He scored a total of 393 runs with the help of four magnificent half-centuries. Also, the former player ended as the 2nd leading run-scorer for Team India after Sachin Tendulkar. It is a fact that Gambhir was the man of the finals and he proved that tag by pulling off an influential knock-in high profile final of 2011 World Cup against Sri Lanka.