'It wasn't a very happy MS Dhoni, I can assure you' - Graeme Swann shares anecdote from 2011 World Cup

It has been 11 years since India won the 2011 World Cup at home. The home side showed a lot of character throughout the campaign and eventually managed to lift the cup after winning the final match against Sri Lanka at the iconic Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, under skipper MS Dhoni’s leadership. Notably, the Men in Blue were also involved in a tie against the England team during their group stage matches.

Former England spinner Graeme Swann has now recalled an incident that occurred during the contest. Talking more about the game first, posting 338 in 49.5 overs, India started poorly in their bowling with Andrew Strauss smashing 158, while senior batter Ian Bell also completed his fifty (69 off 71 balls). The Three Lions at one stage were cruising towards victory.  However, an excellent bowling effort from the home side towards the end ensured that the match ended as a tie.

Graeme Swann recalls MS Dhoni’s emotions during the thrilling game

“We were cruising, we were all laughing and joking in the changing room. ‘Hah, they are 20 runs short’, ‘Hah, look at how good we are’. Then all of a sudden, Mishra (Piyush Chawla) got a couple of wickets. We got bogged down then. And suddenly, we were never winning the game. And then, as it always happens in one-day cricket, it was down to bowlers to bail out the batsmen and try to win. So, we walked in. I hit Mishra (Chawla) for a six! I picked a googly and hit him for a six and it kind of got us back to the game,” Swann recalled in a video for cricket.com.

“It was down to 4 needed off 2 balls. We scampered for two when it should’ve never been two. It wasn’t a very happy MS Dhoni, I can assure you that. On the last ball, it was too full to get underneath and the extra cover dived and stopped it. We only got one,” recalled Swann,” the former spinner added.