Spectators singing "Vande Mataram" in 2011 WC Final my favorite moment: MS Dhoni

Time stood still in 2011 when MS Dhoni smashed that iconic six at the Wankhede, which ended a 28-year-old wait for a World Cup for India. The skipper played one of the knocks of his life alongside Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, and Yuvraj Singh to propel them to their second World Championship after 1983.

There were many iconic moments from that day (April 2nd, 2011), but with four overs to go and around 28 runs to get, India was cruising towards the target. The fans were just about loosening up and that led to one of the most iconic moments in cricket history. During the break after the 46th over with Sri Lankan team compressing their think tanks, the entire crowd at Wankhede sang A.R. Rahman’s patriotic classic “Vande Mataram”, giving goosebumps to the entire country.

Indian skipper MS Dhoni recalled the game and said that the fans singing so loud and with emotions riding so high, it was definitely one of his favorite moments of his career. We have had quite a few good ones, but the 2011 World Cup, winning in India at the Wankhede Stadium, in front of the home crowd, was something that was really amazing and I think the whole process was good,” said MS Dhoni as quoted by “The Print”.

“But that exact point, you know, maybe four or five overs before we won the game when the whole stadium and the spectators knew that we were going to win the game… that was the time when they started chanting, ‘Vande Mataram’ and all the other songs, that was the moment. We knew from that point that we will win the game. That whole atmosphere has never been recreated, but hopefully someday, I will be able to witness it again.” He added.

Never planned to hit that six

No Indian fan can ever forget that winning six from MS Dhoni off Nuwan Kulasekara. Interestingly, the man himself, MS Dhoni reckons he never planned anything there and it just happened. He says it took a little time for him to realize that the game was over and their childhood goal was finally accomplished.

“There was no plan to hit a six, and I was not looking for a fairytale finish. It just came, I swung the bat, it went over the boundary and then there was a sense of satisfaction. It was just watching the ball, there was nothing in the mind, and after a few seconds, I realized that yes, I had done it,” said the former Indian skipper.