The 2011 World Cup Final was yet another occasion where a player who was not appreciated enough for his cricketing skills stood up for India when it mattered the most. Gautam Gambhir is one such player that he always stepped up for India in World Cup Finals. He had done similarly in the 2007 T20I World Cup Final and he played an excellent innings of 75 in the final against Pakistan. India won that match by a close margin and without the runs of Gautam Gambhir, India would have not won the match.

Let’s look at the match winning performance by Gautam Gambhir in the 2011 World Cup Final against Sri Lanka

Gautam Gambhir became a legend

It was the 2011 World Cup Final and it was against Sri Lanka and this match was highly anticipated by every Indian fan. This was the most high pressure match for India in 28 years. Sri Lanka Batted first in this match and Mahela Jayawardene made a brilliant Hundred and he helped Sri Lanka made a very competitive score of 274 on the board. This was a challenge total for India because at that time, chasing Scores over 270 were not that common. India were 31-2 as they had lost both Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag very early.

Then it was Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli who were in the middle. They needed to stitch a partnership and that’s exactly what they did. Gautam Gambhir was the anchor and Virat Kohli was playing his shots as they added 83 runs for the 3rd wicket. Gautam Gambhir was slowly pacing his innings and then Virat Kohli got out at 114. And then MS Dhoni walked out and then they both started attacking as Gautam Gambhir brought up his half century and he allowed Dhoni to play aggressively against spinners. Dhoni also brought up his 50 but he did not even realize it. MS Dhoni and Gautam Gambhir added 109 runs and Gambhir was inching closer to the hundred but he got out at 97. It was more than a hundred as he had assured that India would win the World Cup. He batted for 122 balls and he hit 9 fours at a strike rate of 79.51. It was the best innings of Gautam Gambhir.

Gautam Gambhir had once again proved to be of use to the country at a time when it needed it the most. He has shown that he is one of those players that can handle the pressure the most. His innings of 97 was something which every Indian fan remembers till today. The sad part is that in the 2023 World Cup Final which was held recently, no Indian batter played such an innings and stayed for later in the innings so that India council made a big score. Gautam Gambhir has been mentoring IPL sides and he has recently come back to Kolkata Knight Riders. Gautam Gambhir’s performance in the 2011 World Cup Final is one to remember.

Also Read: Mohinder Amarnath Performance at 1983 World Cup Final