Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], April 2 : Former Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh reminisced on Men in Blue's ICC Cricket World Cup win on this day back in 2011, saying that the victory was for over a billion people cheering them and a "thank you" to legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, who waited till 22 years for turning his dream into a reality.
On this day back in 2011, India defeated a strong Sri Lanka unit on the back of powerful performances from Zaheer Khan, Gautam Gambhir and skipper MS Dhoni in front of a packed Wankhede Stadium, bringing the World Cup title back home 28 years after the team's first triumph in 1983 under captaincy of Kapil Dev, which changed the face of Indian cricket.
Taking to Instagram, Yuvraj wrote, "April 2, 2011 -- the night we did it for a billion people... and for one man who carried Indian cricket on his shoulders for over two decades. That World Cup wasn't just a win. It was a thank you to a legend. We grew up watching @sachintendulkar. That night, we played to give him the moment he deserved. 14 years later, the memory of India's win still gives me goosebumps. A night we'll never forget."
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Coming to the title clash, Sri Lanka opted to bat first and reached 274/6, owing to an unbeaten century by Mahela Jayawardene (113), knocks by skipper Kumar Sangakkara (48), Tillakaratne Dilshan (48) and Thisara Perera (22*). Zaheer Khan (2/60) and Yuvraj Singh (2/49) were the pick of the bowlers for India.
In the run chase, India struggled initially after the dismissal of openers Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar early. Then knocks from Gautam Gambhir (97), Virat Kohli (35), MS Dhoni (91*) and Yuvraj Singh (21*) helped India secure a six-wicket win.
Yuvraj was given the Player of the Tournament award for delivering an all-time great tournament with both bat and ball, scoring 362 runs in nine matches at an average of 90.50, with a century and four fifties and taking 15 wickets at an average of 25.13, with a five-wicket haul to his name.
Sachin, who played his last World Cup ever, was India's leading run-getter and overall second-highest run-getter, with 482 runs in nine matches at an average of 53.55, with two centuries and two fifties. His best score is 120.