Paddy Upton Highlights The Importance Of Sachin Tendulkar In India’s 2011 World Cup Winning Squad

India’s former mental health trainer Paddy Upton has revealed how important a stature Sachin Tendulkar held in the 2011 World Cup-winning squad. India won its second-ever ICC Cricket World Cup trophy in the year 2011 and ended their drought of 28 years.

Prior to this, team India had one only a single world cup which they won way back in the year 1983 under the captaincy of Kapil Dev beating West Indies in the final. Since then, the Men in Blue had been hunting the trophy. They eventually won it in 2011, and it was Sachin Tendulkar’s first-ever world cup in his long, illustrious career.

After the victory, many cricketers, including the current Indian captain, Virat Kohli, said that India wanted to win the world cup for Sachin Tendulkar as he had carried the burden of the entire nation on his shoulders for a very long time.

Paddy Upton Says Tendulkar Worked As A Source Of Inspiration

“Tendulkar was a rock of stability, a wealth of experience and information, and an inspiration. He was great over that tournament, especially with the younger players, in helping them to learn from both his success and errors, rather than them having to make and learn from their own errors. Tendulkar also served as a source of inspiration to many players,” Upton said.

Paddy Upton added, “Many had the additional personal goal of wanting to win the World Cup to honour Tendulkar, as an icon and role model to many players, giving him a World Cup trophy to add to his list of achievements. This was one of the only Milestones that Tendulkar hadn’t yet achieved or been part of.”

India Had A Stellar Run In The 2011 World Cup

Team India was magnificent throughout the 2011 World Cup. They had the pressure more than ever as everybody knew it would be the last world cup for some of the great personalities of the team. India lost only one game in the tournament in a match against South Africa.

The final was nothing short of a nail-biting finish. Sri Lanka posted a giant total of 274 runs on the scoreboard batting first. India lost Sachin and Sehwag early in the final, but a batting masterclass from Gautam Gambhir and Indian captain MS Dhoni sealed the victory for the Men in Blue, making them the first team ever to win the world cup on home soil.

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