India captain MS Dhoni, promoting himself up the order, joined Gambhir and they both added 109 runs, an Indian record in a World Cup final. Gambhir got out for 97 runs in the 42nd over. India chased down the total and won the match by six wickets in the 49th over. Dhoni was declared the “man of the match” for scoring 91 runs, while his compatriot Yuvraj Singh was awarded the “man of the tournament”.
The match was the tenth World Cup final and was hosted at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. It was the first time the city has hosted a World Cup final, and was the second final to be hosted by India, after the 1987 final held at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. The 2011 final was the first to feature two teams from the same continent, and the first time that two co-hosts contested the final.
India were making their 3rd appearance in a World Cup final. Previously, they won the final in 1983, and lost in 2003. Sri Lanka was appearing in their third World Cup final; breakthrough winners against Australia in 1996 they finished as runners up (also to Australia) in the previous World Cup in 2007. Prior to this match, India and Sri Lanka had met each other seven times in World Cup history with Sri Lanka ahead with four wins and two defeats and one game ending in a no-result. In One Day Internationals, India led Sri Lanka with 75 victories against 52 victories for Sri Lanka, while 11 matches had ended with no result.
The final generated huge interest. The President of Sri Lanka Mahinda Rajapaksa, a known cricket enthusiast, announced he would attend the match along with his sons. Following this, the Indian President Pratibha Patil also announced her decision to attend the match.
Picture Credit : Google
