On April 2, 2011, Sri Lanka and India played in one of the most-watched cricket matches, with about 135 million viewers in India. India became the first host country to win the tournament. No other host had done that before.
It was the night India won the trophy after nearly 30 years, right at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
The pressure was high, but the team performed when it counted. Sachin Tendulkar, who had played since 1989, finally won the World Cup in his sixth and final try. For many Indian cricket fans, this was the moment they had waited for since childhood.
What Were the Stakes and Context for Both Teams?
The gap between India’s two World Cup wins tells the whole story. Twenty-eight years had passed since Kapil Dev’s team shocked the world at Lord’s in 1983. That’s almost an entire generation.ย
The 2011 World Cup final gave India a chance to rewrite history, and the entire nation was watching. MS Dhoni’s team entered the tournament as favorites, playing most of their matches on home ground, which brought both advantage and enormous expectations.
Sri Lanka’s Aim to Reclaim the Cup and Their Road to the Final
Sri Lanka had their own demons to fight. They’d lost the 2007 World Cup final to Australia and were back again in 2011, hungry for redemption.
Their road to the final was impressive. In the semi-final at Colombo, they demolished New Zealand by five wickets, with Lasith Malinga taking three crucial wickets and bundling them out for just 217.
Mahela Jayawardene and the team knew this might be their best shot at the trophy, especially with the legendary Muttiah Muralitharan playing his final World Cup.
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โHow Did the Match Unfold from Start to Finish?
Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bat first at the Wankhede Stadium.โ
Sri Lanka’s Innings: How They Built 274/6?
Zaheer Khan bowled three consecutive maiden overs at the start, something that had never been done before in a World Cup final. Upul Tharanga fell early, caught by Virender Sehwag off Zaheer’s bowling for just 2 runs.
Tillakaratne Dilshan followed soon after, dismissed by Harbhajan Singh for 33. At 60 for 2 after 16.3 overs, Sri Lanka needed someone to steady the ship.
Mahela Jayawardene came in at number four and never looked uncomfortable from the first ball. Kumar Sangakkara joined him, and the two built a crucial 62-run partnership.
Sangakkara played a composed innings of 48 off 67 balls before Yuvraj Singh trapped him with a catch to MS Dhoni. Jayawardene, though, kept going, hitting boundaries all around the ground.
โFinal Run Surge and Scorecard Highlights
The final overs belonged to Mahela Jayawardene and the lower order. Jayawardene reached his century off just 84 balls, finishing unbeaten on 103 off 88 deliveries with 13 boundaries.
He became the sixth player to score a century in a World Cup final, though he’d also become the first centurion to end up on the losing side. Nuwan Kulasekara smashed 32 off 30 balls, including one six, while Thisara Perera and others chipped in.
Zaheer Khan finished with figures of 2/60 in his 10 overs, though his last two overs went for 35 runs after a brilliant start. Sri Lanka posted 274/6 in their 50 overs, a competitive total but not insurmountable.
Srilankaโs Batting Scorecard
| Batsman | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | Mode of Dismissal |
| Upul Tharanga | 2 | 20 | 0 | 0 | c Virender Sehwag b Zaheer Khan |
| Tillakaratne Dilshan | 33 | 49 | 3 | 0 | b Harbhajan Singh |
| Kumar Sangakkara | 48 | 67 | 5 | 0 | c MS Dhoni b Yuvraj Singh |
| Mahela Jayawardene | 103* | 88 | 13 | 0 | not out |
| Thilan Samaraweera | 21 | 34 | 2 | 0 | lbw b Yuvraj Singh |
| Chamara Kapugedera | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | c Suresh Raina b Zaheer Khan |
| Nuwan Kulasekara | 32 | 30 | 1 | 1 | run out (MS Dhoni) |
| Thisara Perera | 22* | 9 | 3 | 1 | not out |
| Extras | 12 | – | – | – | (b 1, lb 3, w 6, nb 2) |
| TOTAL | 274/6 | 50 overs | – | – | – |
Indiaโs Bowling Scorecard
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Economy |
| Zaheer Khan | 10 | 3 | 60 | 2 | 6 |
| S Sreesanth | 8 | 0 | 52 | 0 | 6.5 |
| Munaf Patel | 9 | 0 | 41 | 0 | 4.55 |
| Harbhajan Singh | 10 | 0 | 50 | 1 | 5 |
| Yuvraj Singh | 10 | 0 | 49 | 2 | 4.9 |
| Virat Kohli | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
โIndia’s Chase: How They Reached 277/4?
India’s chase got off to the worst possible start. Lasith Malinga trapped Virender Sehwag leg-before for a duck in the very first over.
When Sachin Tendulkar fell for 18 in the seventh over, also to Malinga, India were 31 for 2, and the Wankhede crowd went silent. Chasing 275 with both openers gone early was not the script anyone wanted.
Gautam Gambhir walked in when India needed him most. He hit the first ball he faced from Malinga for a boundary, setting the tone for what would be a gritty, match-defining innings.
Virat Kohli joined him, and together they stitched an 83-run partnership. Kohli made 35 off 49 balls before being caught and bowled by Tillakaratne Dilshan, leaving India at 114 for 3.
Dhoni’s Promotion, 91, and MatchโWinning Partnership
Instead of sending in Yuvraj Singh, the in-form all-rounder who’d been tearing through the tournament, Dhoni promoted himself to number five. The decision was based on a couple of things.
Sachin Tendulkar had suggested the left-right combination would disrupt Sri Lanka’s off-spinners, particularly Muralitharan and Suraj Randiv. Plus, Dhoni had faced Murali for three seasons in the IPL nets while playing for Chennai Super Kings and felt he could read the legendary spinner’s doosra.
The gamble paid off. Dhoni and Gambhir added 109 runs together, an Indian record partnership in a World Cup final. Gambhir brought up his fifty off 56 balls and kept rotating the strike beautifully with Dhoni.ย
He batted for 122 balls, hitting nine boundaries, and looked set for a hundred. But on 97, he tried to charge down the wicket to Thisara Perera and got bowled, missing what would’ve been a fairytale century. Gambhir later admitted he was thinking about the milestone and how he’d celebrate rather than focusing on the chase.
When Gambhir fell, India still needed 52 runs off 52 balls with six wickets in hand. Dhoni had already reached his fifty off 52 balls and was starting to accelerate.
Yuvraj Singh came in and supported Dhoni perfectly, scoring 21 off 24 balls. The dew factor kicked in as the night went on, making it harder for Sri Lanka’s bowlers to grip the ball.
Malinga, who’d been so dangerous early on, couldn’t bowl his yorkers properly because the ball was too wet.
Final Scorecard and Victory Margin
With India needing just four runs to win off 11 balls, MS Dhoni smashed Nuwan Kulasekara over long-on for a massive six. The Wankhede Stadium erupted.
Dhoni finished unbeaten on 91 off 79 balls, hitting eight fours and two sixes at a strike rate of 115.18. India chased down the target with 10 balls to spare, winning by six wickets in 48.2 overs.
The final scorecard read India 277/4, beating Sri Lanka’s 274/6.
Indiaโs Batting Scorecard
| Batsman | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | Mode of Dismissal |
| Virender Sehwag | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | lbw b Lasith Malinga |
| Sachin Tendulkar | 18 | 14 | 2 | 0 | c Kumar Sangakkara b Lasith Malinga |
| Gautam Gambhir | 97 | 122 | 9 | 0 | b Thisara Perera |
| Virat Kohli | 35 | 49 | 4 | 0 | c & b Tillakaratne Dilshan |
| MS Dhoni | 91* | 79 | 8 | 2 | not out |
| Yuvraj Singh | 21* | 24 | 2 | 0 | not out |
| Extras | 15 | – | – | – | (b 1, lb 6, w 8) |
| TOTAL | 277/4 | 48.2 overs | – | – | – |
Sri-lankaโs Bowling Scorecard
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Economy |
| Lasith Malinga | 9 | 0 | 42 | 2 | 4.67 |
| Nuwan Kulasekara | 5 | 0 | 27 | 1 | 5.4 |
| Muttiah Muralitharan | 8 | 0 | 39 | 0 | 4.88 |
| Tillakaratne Dilshan | 5 | 0 | 35 | 1 | 7 |
| Thilan Samaraweera | 7.2 | 0 | 40 | 0 | 5.45 |
| Suraj Randiv | 9 | 0 | 32 | 0 | 3.56 |
โWho Were the Key Performers and Why Did They Matter?
MS Dhoni was named Man of the Match for his remarkable innings of 91 not out off just 79 deliveries. Dhoni came in when India had lost three wickets, and the required rate could’ve spiralled.
Instead, he absorbed the pressure, rotated strike with Gambhir, and then accelerated when the partnership was set. He understood the dew would help later, so he kept wickets in hand and played according to the conditions.
That final six wasn’t just a shot; it was a statement.
โGautam Gambhir’s 97 and Other Indian Contributions
While Dhoni got the Man of the Match award, many felt Gautam Gambhir’s 97 off 122 balls was equally crucial. He came in at 0 for 1, steadied the innings, and batted through the middle overs when Sri Lanka’s spinners were operating.ย
His partnership with Kohli added 83 runs, and then his 109-run stand with Dhoni took India to the brink of victory. Even though he missed his century by three runs, Gambhir said later that winning the World Cup mattered more than personal milestones.
Virat Kohli’s 35 off 49 balls also deserves credit for building the platform during a tricky phase. And Yuvraj Singh’s unbeaten 21 helped Dhoni finish the chase without any drama.
โMahela Jayawardene’s Unbeaten 103
Mahela Jayawardene’s 103 not out was a masterclass. He faced 88 balls, struck 13 boundaries, and didn’t mistime a single shot by his own admission.
Kumar Sangakkara’s 48 off 67 balls provided the early support Jayawardene needed. Lasith Malinga took two wickets with the new ball, dismissing both Sehwag and Tendulkar to give Sri Lanka hope. Thisara Perera picked up the crucial wicket of Gautam Gambhir, though it came too late to change the outcome.
โYuvraj Singh as Man of the Tournament
Yuvraj Singh was awarded Man of the Tournament for his all-round brilliance throughout the 2011 World Cup. He scored 362 runs at an average of 90.50 and took 15 wickets at an economy of 5.02.
He became only the third player to win four Man of the Match awards in a single World Cup, joining Aravinda de Silva and Lance Klusener. In the final itself, Yuvraj took 2 for 49 in 10 overs, dismissing both Sangakkara and Thilan Samaraweera.
Why were the Venue and Atmosphere Important?
The Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai was the perfect stage for this final. Located near Marine Drive in the Churchgate neighborhood, the stadium had been renovated and had a capacity of 33,108 after upgrades for the 2011 World Cup.
All 33,000 seats were filled that night. The atmosphere was electric, though the early wickets of Sehwag and Tendulkar did create moments of nervous silence.
But as Gambhir and then Dhoni took control, the crowd found its voice again. For Sachin Tendulkar, playing at the Wankhede made it even more special since it was his home ground. He later chose the same venue for his retirement Test in 2013 because of the memories from the 2011 World Cup final.
Broadcast Reach and Global Audience
The broadcast numbers were staggering. In India alone, 135 million people watched the final live, according to TAM and aMap ratings agencies. That included 67.6 million cable and satellite viewers.
The final had a TV rating of 13.6% on average, peaking at 21.44% when Dhoni hit that final six. Some estimates suggested the global viewership reached as high as 558 million unique viewers, making it one of the most-watched sporting events in history.
What Was the Aftermath and Legacy of the 2011 Final?
Mumbai stood still that night. Fans poured onto the streets, waving the national flag, playing drums, and celebrating until the early hours of Sunday morning. Even Congress Party president Sonia Gandhi joined the revelers.
The players were showered with rewards. The Delhi government gave MS Dhoni $452,000, while Punjab gave Yuvraj Singh $225,000, and Maharashtra matched that for Sachin Tendulkar. Many players received apartments and plots of land.
Sachin Tendulkar went on to receive the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award, in November 2013, becoming the first sportsperson to be honored with it. The 2011 World Cup final was specifically mentioned as one of his greatest achievements.โ
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