ICC Cricket World Cup 2011: India Win at the Wankhede — Dhoni 91*, First Title in 28 Years
The 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup was the tenth edition of the tournament, co-hosted by India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh from 19 February to 2 April 2011. India won their second World Cup title, defeating Sri Lanka by 6 wickets in the final at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on 2 April 2011. Sri Lanka scored 274/6 with Mahela Jayawardene scoring 103 not out. India chased 275 with Gautam Gambhir scoring 97 and MS Dhoni scoring 91 not out. India won with 10 balls remaining. It was India's first World Cup title since 1983.
The 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup was co-hosted by India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh from 19 February to 2 April 2011. Fourteen teams competed. India were captained by MS Dhoni, and were playing their home World Cup for the first time since the 1987 tournament (which India co-hosted and lost the semi-final).
The Final: Jayawardene 103*, Dhoni 91*
The final at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on 2 April 2011 attracted the largest live TV audience for a single cricket match to that point. Sri Lanka, captained by Kumar Sangakkara, scored 274/6 in 50 overs. Mahela Jayawardene scored 103 not out from 88 balls — the highest score in a World Cup final until then. Lasith Malinga took 2/42 and Nuwan Kulasekara 1/46 bowling for Sri Lanka. India, chasing 275, lost Sehwag (0) and Tendulkar (18) early. Gautam Gambhir (97) and Dhoni (91*) added 109 for the fourth wicket. Dhoni promoted himself above Yuvraj Singh to bat at number 5; he finished with 91 not out off 79 balls, hitting the winning six off Kulasekara. India won with 10 balls remaining.
Zaheer Khan: 21 Tournament Wickets
Zaheer Khan was India's leading wicket-taker in the 2011 World Cup with 21 wickets across the tournament — the most in the competition. His ability to swing the ball conventionally and in reverse in the early overs was India's primary bowling weapon. He took 2/60 in the final.
The Semi-Final: India Beat Pakistan at Mohali
India's semi-final against Pakistan at Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali on 30 March 2011 was one of the most watched cricket matches in history — attended by both Indian and Pakistani Prime Ministers (Manmohan Singh and Yousuf Raza Gilani). India won by 29 runs. Sachin Tendulkar scored 85; Suresh Raina made 36. Munaf Patel took 3/42. Pakistan were bowled out for 231 chasing 261.
Frequently asked questions
How does Mahela Jayawardene's 103 not out in the 2011 WC final analytically rank among great losing-side final innings — alongside Adam Gilchrist's 57 (1987 WC final, losing side), Mike Gatting's 41 (1987 WC final, losing side), and Clive Lloyd's 102 (1975 WC final, winning side) — and what does playing a match-winning innings in a losing cause reveal about team cricket's structural limitations on individual influence?
Jayawardene's 103* in the 2011 WC final is the highest individual score by a batter on the losing side in any World Cup final. The comparative framework: Jayawardene (103*, SL lost by 6 wkts 2011), Clive Lloyd (102, WI won 1975), Mike Brearley (64*, England lost 1979), Arjuna Ranatunga (47*, SL won 1996). Among losing-side final innings, Jayawardene's is unequivocally the best by volume. The structural limitation analysis: in a 50-over game, a single batter scoring 103* contributes approximately 37% of a team's total (103/274 in this case). However, in a chase, the opposition has already seen the total and can calibrate their run rate exactly. India knew they needed to pace the chase — they could afford early wickets if the run-rate was managed. Jayawardene's innings built the target but could not control the chase. The analytical insight: individual influence over a match outcome peaks at approximately 40-50% in ODI cricket — no single innings, however large, can guarantee a win once the opposition have their chase target, adequate batting depth, and experienced situational batters (Gambhir and Dhoni were both experienced match-finishers). Jayawardene's century is categorised as a 'great losing innings' because it maximised the target but the structural mechanism of the chase (India's batsmen having more information to work with) could not be overcome by pre-chase scoring, however high.