The former Indian cricketer and one of the legends of the game, Sachin Tendulkar has told the two reasons why he asked coach Gary Kirsten to send MS Dhoni before Yuvraj Singh in the 2011 World Cup final against Sri Lanka at Wankhede Stadium.
This decision later became a masterstroke and India lifted the ODI World Cup Trophy after 28 years under the captaincy of Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Tendulkar explained this during an ‘Ask Me Anything’ (AMA) session on Reddit. A fan asked him why he told Kirsten to send Dhoni earlier in the batting order.
While chasing 275 runs, India was 114 for 3 after Virat Kohli got out for 35. At that time, Dhoni came to bat at number five, before Yuvraj Singh.
“There were 2 reasons. The left-right batting combination would have upset the two off-spinners; also, Muralitharan had played for CSK (from 2008-2010) and MS had played with him for 3 seasons in the nets,” Tendulkar replied.
Dhoni made a 109-run partnership with Gautam Gambhir and stayed not out with 91 runs from 79 balls. He hit eight fours and two sixes, helping India win by six wickets against Sri Lanka.
Tendulkar said that a left-hand and right-hand batting pair would trouble the two main off-spin bowlers from Sri Lanka which were Muralitharan and Suraj Randiv.
Tendulkar’s smart thinking and long experience helped India win the World Cup after 28 years. It was his last 50-over World Cup, and his dream came true when he finally lifted the trophy in his sixth attempt.
