ODI World Championship

(Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina celebrate after winning the match against Australia)

The 2011 ODI World Cup was a tournament that always remains fresh in the memories of the fans. From Sehwag hitting boundaries on the first ball of the innings, Zaheer Khan picking wickets in the first over, MS Dhoni’s finishes, Sachin Tendulkar's drives, and many more, the tournament was an event that provided some of the best cricketing moments to the fans. Moreover, it proved to be India’s tournament as they knocked out the Australian team to deny them a straight 4th ODI World Cup. In 1999, 2003, and 2007, Australia won the 3 ODI World Cups and hence Ricky Ponting was looking to end his career with another one, but it was the Indian team that ruled them out.

2nd Quarter-Finals: India vs Australia

It was March 24th, 2011 and India was all set to play against Australia at the Sardar Patel Stadium, Motera, Ahmedabad. Having Australia as their opponent, it was going to be a tough match for the Indian team and hence the whole team had to perform as a unit to get a win here. With a flat pitch, Australia went to the toss and decided to bat first which looked to be a good decision for the team as their team was solid on paper. Shane Watson and Brad Haddin started the innings well and took the score to 110-2 with both the openers dismissed under 23 overs.

Now, it was the turn of the captain Ricky Ponting to take charge who scored a century and took the score to a dependable one. Moreover, David Hussey made sure that the Australian team was well in the contest as the side registered a score of 260 from their 50 overs with the loss of 6 wickets. With the bowling lineup that Australia had, they looked confident and hence they had the belief in their captain Ricky Ponting to use the bowlers well.

(Ricky Ponting during his century against India in the ODI World Cup 2011)

Coming to the second innings of the match, Virender Sehwag was the first wicket for the Indian team who was dismissed with the team’s score being 44-1 in 8.1 overs. After that, Sachin Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir got a valuable partnership of 50 runs and it was the wicket of Sachin Tendulkar that sparked the collapse of the Indian team. However, both the batters registered a half-century, but it wasn’t enough as there was a better target that had to be achieved during that game.

India vs Australia, 2nd Quarter-Final at Ahmedabad, Mar 24 2011, ICC Cricket World Cup
Australia	India
260/6 (50 overs)	261/5 (47.4 overs)
Ricky Ponting 104 (118)	Yuvraj Singh 57* (65)
Yuvraj Singh 2/44 (10 overs)	David Hussey 1/19 (5 overs)
India won by 5 wickets

In the middle order, Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli soon got out and hence left the Indian team in the middle. The pressure was on the Indian batters to survive this tricky phase and the partnership between Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina ensured that India was well into the game now. Yuvraj Singh got to his fifty while Suresh Raina got 30 runs in that innings to keep the Indian team alive in the tournament. In the over of Brett Lee, Yuvraj Singh played a shot through covers to take the Indian team to the Semi-Finals of the ICC ODI World Cup 2011. The words that described the scenes well by the commentators were

“In a monumental moment for Indian fans, Australia's dominance comes to an end. The crowd erupts as Yuvraj Singh, amidst a frenzy of emotions, celebrates on the pitch. His bat waves triumphantly as he gazes skyward. It's a historic shift - the first time since 1999 that new World Champions will emerge. Yuvraj's decisive stroke, a powerful hit through the covers, seals the victory. The scene is a blur of excitement as Australia's reign is over. India secures a spot to face Pakistan in Mohali, adding to the anticipation. The stadium buzzes with energy, marking a significant milestone in cricketing history.”

India lifted the ODI World Cup after 28 years

With the defeat against India in the ODI World Cup 2011, Australia was knocked out of the tournament and the fans were elated as after 1999, they will be getting a new champion for the first time. Moreover, in the same tournament, Pakistan also ended Australia's 34 games victory in the World Cup and hence it was a tournament to let go of for the Australian team.

Coming to the Indian team, after defeating the Australian team in the Quarter-Finals, they went on to win against the Pakistan team in the Semi-Finals of the ODI World Cup 2011. The superb innings of Sachin Tendulkar and some late blitzes from Suresh Raina helped the Indian team to post a comfortable total of 260 runs with the loss of 9 wickets. In reply, they dismissed the Pakistan team for just 231 runs in the Semi-Finals and booked a place in the Finals of the World Cup after 8 long years. The atmosphere was electric as fans celebrated India's stellar performance, setting the stage for an exhilarating showdown in the much-anticipated Final match.

(Indian team celebrating after winning the ODI World Cup 2011)

With the Quarter-Finals and Semi-Finals done, it was time for the Finals now where India met Sri Lanka at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. Sri Lanka while batting first posted a big target of 275 runs and being the home side, the pressure was on now the Indian team to come out and chase this target well. However, they faltered at the start as they lost the early wickets of Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar. However, Gautam Gambhir and MS Dhoni ensured that the team reached the total without any further hiccups and it was MS Dhoni who sealed the ODI World Cup with a six on the night of the finals.