IND vs SL: "It Was Zaheer Khan Who Set The Tone For The World Cup Final" - Gautam Gambhir Unveils The True Hero Of The 2011 World Cup

In his recollection of India’s victory in the 2011 World Cup, Gautam Gambhir said that neither his knock of 97 nor MS Dhoni’s decisive six-run innings were responsible for setting the stage for India’s triumph.

In a thrilling championship match that was collectively hosted by India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh, Team India under MS Dhoni defeated Kumar Sangakkara and Co. to win the Cricket World Cup crown for the 2nd time in the history and the first time in 28 years following the valiant attempt of the Kapil Dev-led team in 1983. 

IPL 2023 | Sri Lanka tour of India 2023 | Dream11 Prediction | Fantasy Cricket Tips | Cricket Match Prediction Today | Cricket News | Cricket Live Score | New Zealand tour of India 2023 | Australia tour of India 2023

Although India dropped the wickets of seasoned batters Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag quickly in the hunt, the game is known for MS Dhoni’s game-winning six and Gautam Gambhir’s remarkable innings of 97.

Gautam Gambhir Hails Zaheer Khan As True Hero Of India’s 2011 World Cup Win

While Zaheer Khan has been hailed as the true hero, Gambhir has said neither he nor MS Dhoni were really the people who set the tempo for India’s triumph. MS Dhoni stayed undefeated at 91 to take the cup home and collect the Player of the Match.

IPL 2023 | IND vs SL 2023 | India vs Sri Lanka 2023 | India National Cricket Team | IND vs NZ 2023 | India vs New Zealand 2023 | IND vs AUS 2023 | India vs Australia 2023

“People talk about MS Dhoni’s winning six, my 97 in that game, but it was Zaheer Khan who set the tone for the World Cup Final,” said Gambhir on Star Sports.  

Gautam Gambhir was a major factor in India winning the tournament; he amassed four half-centuries, including one against Australia in the quarterfinals, before his miraculous performance against Sri Lanka in the championship game. With 21 wickets under his belt, Zaheer tied Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi for the most wickets in the competition. In his 10-over spell in the championship game, the illustrious pacer claimed two wickets and gave up 60 runs. 

After the triumph in 2011, neither Zaheer nor Gambhir played in a World Cup match because they were not selected for the team for the 2015 tournament. Zaheer participated in three 50-over World Cups for Team India, whilst Gambhir only participated in the 2011 competition. 

Also Read: PAK vs NZ: “I Want To Be There To Have Another Crack”- Trent Boult Shares His Intentions On ODI World Cup in 2023

Virat Kohli | Rohit Sharma | Rishabh Pant | KL Rahul | Suryakumar Yadav | Sanju Samson | Shreyas Iyer | Yuzvendra Chahal | Jasprit Bumrah