Suresh Raina drops bombshell, claims 2011 World Cup was totally scripted

Former India middle-order batsman and 2011 50-over World Cup winner under MS Dhoni's captaincy, Suresh Raina feels that the 2011 Cricket World Cup was scripted. Raina made this claim during his recent appearance in a Lallantop interview, where he confirmed that India's CWC final win against Sri Lanka as well as the entire tournament was scripted but it was scripted by the Lord above. The former left-hand batter made a lot of interesting revelations in that interview and this was one of them. 

In that World Cup edition, Suresh Raina hadn't played many matches for the Men in Blue but he was a part of the process and knew every single thing that was involved in the World Cup win. Raina might have played fewer matches in the CWC but the games that he played, were very important. His debut in the 50-over WC had taken place in Chennai against the West Indies.

Raina's debut World Cup edition 

Suresh Raina's second appearance came during the WC's 2nd Quarter-finals against Australia in Ahmedabad where India had defeated the reigning champions. He then played in the semi-finals against Pakistan in Mohali and his 4th match was the glorious finale in Mohali where the Indians had defeated the Sri Lankans by 6 wickets and lifted the elusive trophy for the first time since 1983. 

Suresh Raina explains how the CWC 2011 was scripted 

Suresh Raina first admitted that there was a tense atmosphere in the dressing room after the early dismissals of Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag. But India's hopes started to shape up with the partnership that Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir had for the 3rd wicket. Raina then reminisced about MS Dhoni walking out to bat after Kohli's departure instead of an in-form Yuvraj Singh, who was in his prime form. 

Suresh Raina did claim that he was shocked to see Dhoni going to bat before Yuvraj before saying that MSD wanted a left-hand and right-hand combination to tackle the spin of Muralitharan. Raina also stated that Dhoni's decision to go before Yuvi, who was adjudged as man of the tournament after the final, was a masterstroke of a decision and that everything that happened in the final and in the entire tournament felt like a well-written script by the God above.  

"There was silence in the dressing room after the first two wickets fell but the partnership between Gauti bhai and Virat (changed the match). When Virat's wicket fell I was there in the dressing room, Dhoni bhai was going out to bat. When I saw that I was like what happened all of a sudden because Yuvi Pa was in a sensational form," Suresh Raina said via Lallantop. 

"And all the decisions that Dhoni bhai took were all master strokes because there was Muralitharan, who used to play for CSK at that time, so I thought he wanted to have a left-right combination even though Yuvi Pa was in his prime form. But that decision was also a masterstroke.

"Before that in the quarter-final match, Ashwin was playing and he was replaced by Ashu bhai against Pakistan. So I felt like the World Cup was scripted. That whatever is happening was bound to happen and it was written by the Lord above," Raina concluded.