Gautam Gambhir reveals he wasn't ready when Virender Sehwag got out in the 2011 World Cup final

What’s the story?

If you are Indian cricket fan born after the year 1983, then you just cannot forget 2^nd of April 2011. The day the whole country was drenched in emotions and soaked in euphoria as ‘India won the World Cup after 28 years’. Six years on, while speaking about the historic day of Indian cricket, Gautam Gambhir has revealed that he was not ready when Virender Sehwag was dismissed off the second ball of the innings.

While speaking to Kolkata Knight Riders’ official website, the KKR skipper said, “We were chasing 275 and I was not even ready when Viru (Virender Sehwag) got out (leg before wicket) LBW in the second delivery. I was still padding up. Because the decision was a referral, I got the time to get ready."

In case you didn’t know...

Gautam Gambhir was India’s top-scorer in the final as he added 97 runs on the board in 122 balls. Along with the then-captain MS Dhoni, he added 109 runs for the fourth wicket to help India bring home the World Cup for the second time in 28 years.

The Delhi batsman was the second highest scorer of the Indian contingent in the 2011 World Cup winning campaign with 393 runs, which included four fifties. He was second only to the Sachin Tendulkar – India’s highest run-getter in the 2011 World Cup with an invaluable 482 runs, which included two centuries in vain.

The heart of the matter

Today marks the sixth anniversary of India’s World Cup triumph. The hosts defeated Sri Lanka comfortably with 10 balls to spare and 6 wickets in hand. But early on in the chase, the scenario was not so comfortable as the Indians suffered an early scare when Lasith Malinga struck on the second ball of the innings to remove Virender Sehwag for a duck.

Sehwag instantly used the DRS and the time taken by the TV umpire worked in favour of Gambhir, who was still padding up when the delivery was bowled. Soon even Tendulkar departed and the Indians were left reeling at 31 for 2 before the left-hander stepped up to play one of the most crucial knocks of his life.

Gambhir said that it was the optimism in the Indian dressing room that surged his confidence.

Despite taking the field in haste, the top-order batsman scored a boundary off the very first ball and he revealed that it helped him settle the nerves. The southpaw hung around in the middle, keeping the scoreboard ticking before he wasted his wicket after scoring a watchful 97.

He added that on that particular day he didn’t think about anything else and only wanted to cherish the chase in a World Cup final in front of the Indian crowd.

What’s next?

Gambhir is all geared-up to perform well for the IPL side he captains – Kolkata Knight Riders. The 34-year-old did not make most of the opportunities awarded in the Test arena recently and will be relying on the 10^th edition of the IPL to boost his chances of playing for the Indian team again.

Author’s Take

Gambhir is someone who possesses the ability to deliver in crunch situations. Although his performance in the final was shadowed by MS Dhoni’s brilliance, one cannot forget his priceless knock of 97 for a winning cause.