At age 38, time was running out for Sachin Tendulkar. The most revered batsman of his generation had been a member of five World Cup teams. He missed out when India were amongst the favourites in 2007 but were eliminated early.
He had earlier come agonisingly close, in 2003 but a quirky decision to cede first strike to Australia cost India a chance especially when Tendulkar was batting in a dream zone, having amassed in excess of 650 runs in that edition alone.
Tendulkar would have wept tears of frustration and anguish that night on Johannesburg, for he had been within touching distance of filling a void on his mantelpiece — only to be denied by a call at the toss that has never been satisfactorily explained.
But 2011 was a last chance for redemption. Playing his career for a nation that loves its records and trophies and an appetite whetted 28 years earlier by Kapil Dev and subsequent triumphs around the world —Tendulkar would have been keenly aware that it was a now or never campaign. And when India capped their run on a warm April night at Mumbai’s new-look Wankhede Stadium, one heart would have been fuller tan almost a billion other.
And it would have been a night that Messrs Yuvraj, Harbhajan and others got a glimpse, even if fleetingly, of the crushing burden the man they bore on their shoulders around the screaming, maniacal arena, had carried in his two decades and more in India colours.
Pakistan blues:
Billed as a sub-continental triumph, the 2011 World Cup was hit with an early blow when Pakistan was ruled out as a co-host thanks to the worsening security situation there. There had been concerns all along about the safety of visiting teams, and the Lahore attack on the Sri Lankan Test team all but sealed the country’s hopes of seeing live World Cup action at its stadia.
In the end, Pakistan did not lose its status as a co-host, but had to suffer the mortification of seeing its allocated matches “relocated” to centres in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and India. after an initial proposal to play those matches in Abu Dhabi was shot down.
That, however, did nothing to dampen the fervour of fans across the region. Having learnt some harsh lessons at the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies where the format helped eliminated both India and Pakistan, the International Cricket Council recast the event into two groups with the top four going through to the knockout stages. It was a buffer against the sort of disaster that overtook the event four years earlier.
Smooth progress:
Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Australia and New Zealand duly qualified from Group A after the tournament had kicked off in Dhaka a month earlier. In Group B, though, there was heartbreak for hosts Bangladesh, who could not make it out of a tough cluster that included former champions India and the West Indies, and the always-threatening South Africa and England. These four duly made their way into the knockouts, Bangladesh paying for the inability to convert opportunity into victory.
India were given a flyer by Virender Sehwag who tore apart the Bangladesh bowling in the opener with a savage 175 at Dhaka’s Sher-e-Bangla Stadium, supported by Virat Kohli’s century, against which the home side had no reply despite a plucky run chase. The Tigers did end up on the same number of points as the West Indians, but an inferior run-rate ensured their exit at the first stage itself.
Into the books:
Tendulkar duly got his staple century against England and India looked to be sitting pretty with 338 to defend. England though had other ideas. Led by skipper Andrew Strauss’ 158 and a half-century from Ian Bell they made a solid go of the chase though it was left to Graeme Swann and Ajmal Shazad to tie scores off the very last ball of the match.
That result in Bengaluru and the defeat to South Africa two weeks later at Nagpur meant India would finish second in Group B behind Graeme Smith’s men, Tendulkar’s century — 111 — for once going in vain.
Unstoppable force:
Having overcome the initial hurdle, India were now rolling along well. In the way, though, lay Australia and after that, a likely clash with Pakistan in the semi-finals. Motera in Ahmedabad was where the home side came up against Ricky Ponting’s men - and more than just a spot in the semis was at stake.
It was this team that had denied Tendulkar and other Men in Blue eight years earlier and even though the Aussie skipper posted a trademark ton, one of efficiency and lethality, India were not to be denied.
Riding on Yuvraj Singh, who had earlier taken three wickets with his flattish left-arm spin, Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s team coasted past a surprisingly meek target with 14 balls in hand. Fittingly, it was left to Yuvraj to quell the nerves with Suresh Raina after the top order had laid a solid platform.
On the other side, Pakistan flattened the West Indies in Dhaka by 10 wickets. South Africa saw yet another World Cup run end fruitlessly as they crashed to New Zealand — again at Mirpur — with Jacob Oram’s four wickets bundling the Proteas out.
Sri Lanka, getting better and better by the match, came through without breaking a sweat, centuries from Tillekaratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga making a mockery of the target set by England.
All to play for:
Things had been set up nicely as a prelude to the final — India vs Pakistan at Mohali and Lanka vs the Kiwis at Colombo’s Premadasa Stadium. The Lions were the first to seal their berth in the final sweeping New Zealand aside by five wickets.
That set the stage for what could have been the match of the tournament but four dropped catches off Tendulkar gave him the leeway to post the game’s top score — 85 — and set a testing 260-run chase for Misbah-ul Haq’s team.
Yuvraj had missed out with the bat — as is his wont at the PCA Stadium — he did his bit with the ball as every Indian bowler chipped in with two wickets apiece, Pakistan were throttled into submission by 29 runs before a delirious crowd that seemed to sense there was more to come from this team in three days time at Mumbai.
Marine Drive mania:
The final — India winning by six wickets in front of sold out Wankhede stands with tickets exchanging hands at astronomical prices till minutes before the start — is a fresh memory for most. Mahela Jayawardene stamped his class on the occasion with an exquisite century but not much was forthcoming from the other batsmen as India were asked to chase down 275.
Tendulkar and Sehwag did not get going, but Gautam Gambhir’s 97, a finisher’s 91 not out (78 balls, eight fours and two sixes) from his captain and a quick 21 from Yuvraj ignited a party that lasted through the night on Marine Drive, forced the teams to take back-street detours to the official hotel, and match referee Clive Lloyd to march his way to the Taj through celebrating youngsters, many of whom never realised that they were dancing alongside a two-time World Cup winning captain.
That April night, Sachin Tendulkar wept again. This time though he would have shed tears of joy and satisfaction.
