“We lived in a colony and were only two or three of us that were of the same age group, the other children were at least five or six years older to us. Maybe that is one of the reasons that I play cricket well because I have always played cricket with people who were older than me, which meant that they had more power and they understood the game better. Playing with them made me better,” Dhoni is quoted as saying by The Print.

The 2011 World Cup was a memorable tournament for the entire nation where, under Dhoni’s captaincy, Team India lifted the trophy after beating Sri Lanka by six wickets. In the final, the former Indian skipper was handed the Man of the Match award for his excellent unbeaten knock of 91 which he scored in a high pressure situation.

“The 2011 World Cup, winning in India at the Wankhede Stadium, in front of the home crowd, was something that was really amazing and I think the whole process was good. But that exact point, you know, maybe four or five overs before we won the game when the whole stadium and the spectators knew that we were going to win the game… that was the time when they started chanting, ‘Vande Mataram’ and all the other songs, that was the moment. We knew from that point that we will win the game. That whole atmosphere has never been recreated, but hopefully, someday, I will be able to witness it again,” he said