Winning Matters, But Winning In Style Matters A Little More - Yuvraj Singh On MS Dhoni's 2011 World Cup Final Winning Six

Former India all-rounder, Yuvraj Singh says that MS Dhoni completing the 2011 World Cup final with a six was the cherry on top of winning the tournament as the Men in Blue won the trophy after 28 years of having won it for the first time in 1983. India also became the first Men’s team to win the World Cup at home.

India defeated Kumar Sangakkara’s Sri Lanka in the final chasing the target of 275. MS Dhoni, who had promoted himself over the in-form Yuvraj Singh, remained unbeaten on 91, after Gautam Gambhir’s superb knock of 97. The Indian captain launched the second ball of the 49th over, bowled by pacer Nuwan Kulasekara, for a maximum to create history.

Yuvraj Singh, who was the non-striker’s end when Dhoni hit the winning runs, remains delighted that India won the game with a maximum and not any single.

Speaking to The Hindu, Yuvraj Singh said, “Winning matters but winning in style matters a little more. That’s the difference between taking a winning single and sending the ball into the stands. It was indeed a job done well!” 

Feel good about contributing to the team: Yuvraj Singh

The 39-year-old feels fortunate to be part of two World Cup-winning sides – 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 World Cup – and contributing significantly to both causes. The left-hander’s 6 sixes off Stuart Broad lit up the T20 World Cup; he was in enviable form in the 2011 World Cup bagging the Player of the Tournament award for his brilliant all-round performances, all while battling cancer.

“God has indeed been very kind to me. I’ve been part of two World Cup triumphs and each one gives me an added reason to feel good about contributing to the team. In 2007 (in the inaugural T20 World Cup), those six sixes in an over brought a different kind of joy to the people, especially the young cricket fans. I still get lots of people coming to me and recalling how it was for them to watch the ball sail over the boundary, ball after ball.

“Again in 2011, I think I could play a hand in most of the games. When I did not contribute with the bat, like against Pakistan (in the semifinals), I took two top-order wickets (Asad Shafiq and Younis Khan) and again two against Lanka, including Sangakkara’s,” the former all-rounder reminisced.

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