'It was meant to happen' - Yuvraj Singh feels India were destined to win 2011 World Cup semi-final against Pakistan

No Indian could forget the 2011 World Cup final at Wankhede where MS Dhoni hit a six and finished things off to propel the Men in Blue to the coveted trophy. The Indian side delivered exemplary performances throughout the tournament and toppled many dominant teams like Australia and Pakistan before booking their berth in the final.

The semi-final tie of 2011 World Cup– India vs Pakistan– was no less than a high-octane battle. All eyes were on MS Dhoni and Co to maintain their impressive World Cup record against their arch-rivals. And India was successful in registering a victory over the Men in Green as they went on to beat Pakistan by 29 runs. India’s legend Sachin Tendulkar hit a brilliant 85-run knock in the encounter.

However, Yuvraj Singh, who was the Man of the tournament, failed to deliver in the semi-final. The match was in Yuvraj’s home ground Mohali and the crowd had high expectations from the left-hander. But Yuvraj was bowled on the first ball by an inswinging yorker from Wahab Riaz. Despite Yuvraj’s rare failure in the tournament, India went on to register a victory and advance to the final.

In an Instagram session on Saturday, Yuvraj opined that India were destined to win the 2011 World Cup semi-final against Pakistan as the luck was on their side. Tendulkar was dropped four times in the match while he was on– 27, 45, 70 and 81. The legendary batsman was dropped by Misbahul Haq, Younis Khan, Kamran Akmal and Umar Akmal, respectively.

“I think we were destined to win that game. I think Sachin scored 87 in that game and got dropped twice. Hence, it was just meant to happen,” said Yuvraj in the session.

‘Mohali as been an unlucky ground for me’: Yuvraj Singh

The Chandigarh-born batsman also reflected back on his failure in the semi-final and said that Mohali has been a very unlucky ground for him. Yuvraj stated that after making his Test debut over there, he also broke his knee and fractured his finger. When the all-rounder was dismissed on the very first delivery in the 2011 World Cup semi-final, Yuvraj said that the whole crowd was silent as if Sachin had gotten out.

“I played the semi-final at my home ground [Mohali]. Mohali has been a very unlucky ground for me, I made my Test debut over there, got my knee broken there and fractured my finger over there as well,” he said. “Everyone had come to see me and watch the local boy perform in a World Cup game, and I got out on the very first delivery. The silence after my wicket was similar to when Sachin used to get out.”