That's Why We Won: Virender Sehwag Recalls 'MS Dhoni's One Line' That Helped India Win 2011 World Cup

As Team India gears up for the all-important ICC World Cup 2023, former India batsman Virender Sehwag has come up with an important piece of advice for the players.

The Rohit Sharma-led side is entering the World Cup as the number-one ODI side in the world. India are high on confidence at the moment after winning the Asia Cup and beating Australia in a bilateral series this month. The momentum is with the Indian team and it would be desperate to make the most of it.

Playing in familiar conditions at home will also make India a formidable outfit. Having faced severe criticism in recent times for the failures in ICC competitions, India will be desperate to win the World Cup this year.

Virender Sehwag recalls MS Dhoni’s words:

India have not won the World Cup since 2011. Incidentally, the 2011 edition was also co-hosted by India and the Men in Blue had gone all the way in the competition. The legendary MS Dhoni was leading the team in the competition.

And as Rohit Sharma looks to replicate MS Dhoni’s feat, Virender Sehwag has recalled how he and his teammates managed to deliver under the pressure. The former India opener recalled the pressure the team was in but one suggestion from captain MS Dhoni made things simpler for the team.

“When we had a team meeting, we decided we won’t read newspapers, don’t listen to outside noise. Anything that can add to pressure, we won’t do. It had become a rule and almost everyone genuinely followed that. We stayed together, we tried to enjoy and do team-building exercises. Because it’s easy to drift apart in long tournaments such as these. Gary Kirsten and MS Dhoni ensured that we stay together,” Virender Sehwag said on Cricbuzz.

“Before and after matches, we had get-togethers. And we used to mostly talk cricket. On dinners, cricket strategies used to be a topic. I used to give suggestions. That was a big reason behind our World Cup win. Of course, we had pressure. Whether we were on the flight, the CISF personnel, in the hotel, the managers and waiters… everyone kept saying, ‘win the World Cup’.

“But MS Dhoni has this one line, ‘focus on the process’. Our process was good, that’s why we won,” he added.

Meanwhile, the upcoming ODI World Cup is scheduled to be played from October 5 to November 19. Team India will open their campaign on October 8 against five-time champions Australia in Chennai. Before that, India will also play a couple of warm-up games.