#2 Gautam Gambhir, 2011 World Cup Final
After winning the toss and electing to bat first, Sri Lanka posted 274-6, with a major contribution from Mahela Jayawardene's 103. After losing both the openers Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar early on, it was Gautam Gambhir who stabilised the innings. He added important partnerships with Virat Kohli and captain MS Dhoni to score a beautiful 97 off 122 balls under immense pressure.
When his wicket fell, India were already in a good position to lift the ODI World Cup after 28 years. Although it was Dhoni who took India over the line with some mighty shots, it was Gambhir who brought stability to the Indian innings, without which the game may not have unfurled as it did.
The Delhi batsman didn't get the recognition he deserved for his knock, perhaps because he fell just 3 runs short of a century? His 97 faded away silently as Dhoni and his world cup winning 6 hogged all the limelight.
Extra Cover: Reliving India's 2011 World Cup win
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