Unsung heroes in ODI World Cup victories
There are several instances to recount from the past when players didn’t get sufficient recognition for their humongous efforts in their team’s World Cup triumphs.
2. Munaf Patel - India, 2011
As discussed earlier, India won their second World Cup title in 2011, and players such as captain MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, and Sachin Tendulkar are recalled for their impressive performances but Gambhir emerged as an unsung hero. However, it isn’t just Gambhir whose contribution isn’t discussed the way it should be.
Munaf Patel, whose responsibility was to bolster India’s pace attack along with Zaheer Khan, was also one of the players who made a crucial contribution to India’s second title win. The speedster bagged 11 wickets in eight games at an economy of 5.36 and became an important hero of India’s enormous success.
Against Bangladesh in Mirpur, Munaf picked up a four-wicket haul and became the highest wicket-taker in the inaugural match. Playing the high-voltage contest against Pakistan in Mohali, he dismissed Mohammad Hafeez and Abdul Razzaq to help India pocket the game by 29 runs and reach the final.
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