Top 5 batting performances of the 2011 World Cup

The 10th anniversary of India's 2011 World Cup triumph has taken fans on a welcome trip down memory lane.

India's historic win seems like it came mere days ago - such was the impact of winning a home World Cup after 28 long, disappointing years. Yuvraj Singh was the Man of the Tournament; Zaheer Khan and Shahid Afridi finished atop the wicket-takers charts; Tillakaratne Dilshan was the leading run-getter.

A number of batting performances from the 2011 World Cup are still etched in memory. In this article, we take a look at five of the best from the tournament.

Honorable Mentions: Gautam Gambhir (97) vs Sri Lanka, AB de Villiers (134) vs Netherlands, Tillakaratne Dilshan (144) vs Zimbabwe

Disclaimer: It's almost criminal to leave Gambhir out of this list, but the truth of the matter is that there was a more impactful knock in the very same innings. This list is not discounting his brilliant match-winning performance in any way. For the other two, quality of opposition is the deciding factor.

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#5 Andrew Strauss (158 vs India, 2011 World Cup group stage)

Andrew Strauss nearly took England to an improbable victory

The 11th match of the 2011 World Cup saw India and England lock horns at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on the 27th of February.

England captain Andrew Strauss lost the toss and saw India pile on 338 runs on a batting beauty courtesy of Sachin Tendulkar's brilliant hundred and fifties from Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh.

Strauss and Kevin Pietersen got England off to a flier in the powerplay, before Munaf Patel plucked a reflex return catch to send the right-hander on his way. Although Jonathan Trott fell soon after, Ian Bell and Strauss put together a 170-run partnership that put their team firmly in the driver's seat.

But the 43rd over saw India worm their way back into the game. Zaheer Khan sent back Bell and Strauss off consecutive deliveries, and India found regular breakthroughs to catch England one run short of their target.

Despite the tie, Strauss played one of the best World Cup innings ever. Smashing 18 fours and 1 six, the England skipper nearly took his country to a famous win and was rightfully adjudged the Man of the Match.

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#4 Ross Taylor (131* vs Pakistan, 2011 World Cup group stage)

Ross Taylor put the Pakistan bowlers to the sword in the 2011 World Cup

The 24th match of the 2011 World Cup saw New Zealand and Pakistan face off in Kandy on the 8th of March.

Kiwi skipper Daniel Vettori elected to bat after winning the toss, and the first innings saw a knock for the ages from No. 4 Ross Taylor. Opener Brendon McCullum and No. 3 Jamie How were dismissed for 6 and 4 respectively, leaving Taylor to resuscitate the innings with Martin Guptill.

They put together a 57-run stand before Guptill and James Franklin fell in the space of three balls. The onus once again fell on Taylor, who smashed the Pakistan bowlers to all corners of the park. He finished on an unbeaten 131 off 124 balls, with 8 fours and 7 sixes.

New Zealand comfortably won the game by 110 runs.

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#3 Kevin O'Brien (113 vs England, 2011 World Cup group stage)

Eveything clicked for Kevin O'Brien in Ireland's 2011 World Cup game against England

In one of the most historic batting displays in cricket history, Kevin O'Brien smashed 113 off just 63 balls to take Ireland to a famous victory over continental rivals England.

Ireland, then without Test status, were completely written off heading into the match. And when they were at 111/5 after England put on 327 in the first innings, Ireland were definitely all but out.

But O'Brien, batting at No. 6, pulverized the English bowlers to smash the fastest World Cup hundred ever - off just 50 balls. He was run out in the 49th over, but Ireland got over the line with 5 balls to spare, consigning England to a humiliating World Cup defeat.

Needless to say, O'Brien was declared the Man of the Match for his whirlwind knock, which consisted of 13 fours and 6 sixes.

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#2 Mahela Jayawardene (103* vs India, 2011 World Cup final)

Mahela Jayawardene was a class apart on the night of the 2011 World Cup final

The biggest stage in all of cricket saw Mahela Jayawardene play the innings of his life. In the 2011 World Cup final against India, the stylish right-hander scored an unbeaten 103 to take Sri Lanka to a challenging total.

The fact that Jayawardene's innings in the final is compared to Aravinda de Silva's from all those years ago in 1996 is the biggest testament to its greatness. Coming in at No. 4 with the score reading 60, he stroked his way to a hundred with contributions from Kumar Sangakkara, Nuwan Kulasekara and Thisara Perera.

Jayawardene found the boundary on 13 occasions during his 88-ball stay at the crease, nearly winning his country a World Cup in the process. Sri Lanka fell narrowly short as we all know, but this innings holds a special place in World Cup history.

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#1 MS Dhoni (91* vs Sri Lanka, 2011 World Cup final)

MS Dhoni's innings was so much more than his last-ball six

What can be said about MS Dhoni's knock in the final that hasn't been said already?

When he came in to bat, the score read 114/3. Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Virat Kohli were back in the hut. Muttiah Muralitharan had a chunk of overs up his sleeve.

It was the World Cup final - not to mention a home World Cup final. Dhoni was out of form, and had barely any runs under his belt in the tournament. Eventual Man of the Tournament Yuvraj Singh had been demoted in the batting order.

The pressure had never been higher on MS Dhoni, but he had never been calmer. Starting off slowly and suffering from cramps throughout his innings, the Indian skipper put the team on his back and took them over the line with a historic six.

But Dhoni's unbeaten 91 was much more than the six it is remembered for. When Gambhir was dismissed for 97 playing an ugly slog across the line, the equation was above a run-a-ball with more than 8 overs to go.

This may not be much of a challenge for Dhoni on most occasions, but it was a World Cup final. And he was up against one of the best in the world in Lasith Malinga.

Dhoni was simply in another world that night in Mumbai. It's impossible to illustrate the significance and brilliance of his innings in words.