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TIMES SPORT
SUNDAY TIMES OF INDIA, NEW DELHI, APRIL 3, 2011
PTI

WINNER SAYS ALL

An emotional Team India expresses itself moments after the historic triumph at Wankhede
HARBHAJAN SINGH

Suresh Raina hugs a crying Yuvraj Singh after the end of the final

I'm feeling very emotional, hence the tears. I can't explain the feeling. I have been part of three World Cups and the dream has finally come true. This Cup is for the people of India.
VIRAT KOHLI This is for the people of India, this for all their support. It is my first World Cup and I couldn't have asked for more.

On carrying Sachin on their shoulders in the victory lap: He's carried Indian cricket for 21 years. It's time we carried him for a while too.
ZAHEER KHAN Yes, it's been amazing, you know. Dream come true. We were working so hard for thism and were so hungry and we are glad we achieved it. Obviously, it was for the special man here (Sachin). We are very happy for him, very happy for the team and there are no words!

And this guy here. I told him a long time back, when he was going through a rough phase, he's going to do it, he's going to win the World Cup for us.
On Yuvraj:
SACHIN TENDULKAR

Couldn't have asked for something bigger than this. I think winning the World Cup is the biggest thing and I am experiencing it. It's the proudest moment of my life. On finally winning it after 6 WCs: Yes, its never too late, like they say. And thanks to all my teammates and support staff and without such fabulous performances and such consistency, it

would never have happened. Did he cry? Yes, I was emotional. They were happy tears, so I wouldn't mind crying.
VIRENDER SEHWAG

In Dambulla (Asia Cup) one year ago, we had imagined this win. The team had discussed this thing back then, that in Mumbai, on April 2, that we will win the World Cup. This the team had discussed in Dambulla one year ago. We have made it happen.
GAMBHIR

YUVRAJ It is unbelievable. There was the under 19 World Cup win, the T20 win, but this is the most special one for the whole of India. For Sachin, for the whole team. I dedicate this to my gurujis, Guru Ram Singh and Guru Arjen Singh, to my mother, my teammates. Last time (in the 2003 World Cup final) we were chasing 358 and made a lot of mistakes and we didn't want to do that again. We saved a lot of runs in the field and then Gauti and MS batted outstandingly. We've taken the pressure pretty brilliantly, we batted like champions.

Hasn't sunk in yet. I think all the guys must have felt (sic) about 2007 (world cup early exit). That was a nightmare. This is a dream. All credit to Sachin Tendulkar and the team.

On his bowling: We don't have a proper left-arm spinner so it was my job to bowl 10 overs. I've been working hard on my bowling with Narendra Hirwani. Taking2 or 3 wickets really helps the team. I've been making more efforts for the team.
Getty Images

MSDs sound cricketing logic

Reuters

(continued from Pg 1) Dhonis move was backed by sound cricketing logic it ensured that a left-right partnership would continue at the crease. Besides, having kept to Muralitharan and having played him in the nets during the legendary spinners stint with Chennai Super Kings, Dhoni was proBably better equipped to handle him than Yuvraj. But it was still a gamble. It worked and won India the match. Dhoni nudged and nurdled, ran hard, played the occassional big shot and constantly talked to Gambhir, calming him down when the Delhi batsman played a risky shot. The two put on a century stand Indias first ever in a World Cup final, and it looked as if India would canter home. There was to be one more twist. Gambhir had some lucky moments, with Kulasekara dropping a tough chance when he was on 30, but had batted steadily to get to 97 when he played an ugly heave and was bowled. It was the highest score by an Indian on Saturday (incidentally , Gambhir had also top scored with 75 when Indian won the World T20) but his wicket at that stage gave Lanka a glimmer of hope. It was a glimmer that man of the match Dhoni and man of the tournament Yuvraj snuffed out with brutal efficiency. There were some hiccups in the running between wickets, and Dhoni struggled with his back, but he was determined to see India home and he did fittingly with a magnificent six , that showed he can still summon the dasher in him. It was a fabulous ending

STUNNERS: Dhoni hits the winning shot (top); Sreesanth, Sachin Tendulkar and Suresh Raina (above, from left to right) with the World Cup trophy at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday

Toss once, toss twice!

T
he final got off to one of the most dramatic starts even before a ball was bowled. The Wankhede was bubbling with excitement and was already a pretty noisy place two hours before the umpires called play. In fact, it got so noisy at the toss that the players could hardly be heard even though they were withCrowe hadnt heard the call, nor had MS Dhoni. So what did Crowe do? He ordered a re-toss. Sangakkara won it the second time too and promptly batted. Following the confusion, there was some loose talk in the air around the press box and words like toss fixing were on many lips, but the confusion in the middle There is no harm in expressing your patriotism for your respective teams, and most Indian fans at the Wankhede were very patriotic, sporting the tri-colour on their faces and wearing the blue Indian jersey. However, some of the jerseys had horrible spelling errors. Virender Sehwags name, as it appeared on the jerseys of three college students, was a howler. His last name was spelt as Sehwagh. Was it deliberate, considering the rise in the number of tigers in the country? When this was brought to their notice, one of them said, Yeah I know. But this was the cheapest available. Another one confidently stated, At least the No. 44 on it is right. He was crestfallen when told that Sehwag has removed the number on his jersey following advice from a numerologist. Talk about getting a raw deal.

to a day when much threatened to go wrong, starting with the toss. Both Dhoni and Sangakkara were convinced they had won the toss. Match referee Jeff Crowe, who had also presided over the farcical spectacle of the 2007 World Cup final ending in near darkness, said he hadnt heard Sangakkaras call. A re-toss took place, Sangakkara won and had no hesitation in batting first. Given the fact that seven of the previous nine World Cup finals had been won by the team batting first, it was a cruel blow. Indias best hope now lay in keeping Sri Lanka down to a manageable total. But Mahela Jayawardene had other ideas. Playing perhaps the most important match of his life, the elegant veteran paced his innings superbly He purred along, all . silken grace, at a run a ball through most of his innings before exploding towards the end to bring up a well-deserved century . It didnt help that Sreesanth, picked ahead of Ashwin, leaked 52 runs from 8 overs. To make matters worse, Kulasekara slammed 32 off 30 balls and Perera

in hand-shaking distance of each other. So when MS Dhoni tossed the specially minted coin and Kumar Sangakkara called heads, there was confusion about who had actually won the toss as match referee Jeff

seemed genuine. Maybe the next time we can have a review of the toss too to determine who has won it. Or simply, how about better acoustics!

Need for a spell check

bludgeoned 22 off just 9 as Lanka raced to 274/6 off 50 overs. A whopping 63 runs were scored in the batting powerplay during overs 4650, turning what would have been a par score into a daunting one. It was the best batting powerplay for the Lankans throughout the tournament. In a cruel irony, it was scored in the same match in which they scored their least runs during the mandatory first 10-over powerplay just 31 runs coming off the first 10 overs as Zaheer befuddled the openers with a superb spell and induced a snick from Tharanga which was superbly snapped up by a diving Sehwag. Zaheer had three maidens in his first spell of 5 overs, in which he conceded just 6 runs while taking a wicket. The other bowlers, with the exception of Sreesanth, put in disciplined spells and were backed up by some of the best fielding ever displayed by an Indian side. Raina and Kohli were outstanding as usual, Yuvraj turned back the years with a superb show and even 38-yearold Tendulkar flung himself around to cut off boundaries. Unfortunately for India, Jayawardene went from strength to strength. Seventeen runs came off Zaheers ninth over and 18 off his 10th, including a last-ball six by Perera that rubbed salt into gaping wounds. For eight years, Zaheer has been haunted by the ghosts of the 2003 final, in which he conceded 15 runs off his very first over. He finished this Cup final with 2 wickets for 60 runs off 10 overs, but this time, there was to be a happy ending both for him and India.

GARY ON INDIA! Players carry coach Gary Kirsten on their shoulders after the win

Mahela performs, Mumbai applauds

K Shriniwas Rao | TNN

Dilshan has been a terrific competitor for Lanka

ON TOI WORLD CUP TEAM

SUNIL GAVASKAR
h e n Sanath Jayasuriya was left out of the Sri Lankan squad last year there was a school of thought that believed that the Lankans would never be able to get the amazingly quick starts that they were getting. Jayasuriya had begun his career as a middleorder batsman who could also bowl left arm spin but it was his powerful hitting down the order that had caught the attention of the shrewd Arjuna Ranatunga who wanted someone at the

top of the order who could take advantage of the field restrictions in place. He then promoted a right hander with similar inclina-

got Lanka off to starts that virtually took the game away from the opposition. That Kaluwitharana was also a wicket-keeper gave

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tion to hit the ball over the top and thus was born the most dangerous opening pair of batsmen of the 1996 World Cup. Jayasuriya and Kaluwitharana demolished the attacks taking full advantage of the field restrictions in the first 15 overs and Ranatunga the choice of picking an extra batsman or a bowler according to the situation and one often saw a batsman of Mahanamas ability slotted at No. 7 which gave enormous depth to that Lankan team. Today, Jayasuriyas role

is being replicated by Tillakaratne Dilshan who too like the Lankan powerhouse of yore began his career as a middle-order batsman who bowled a bit of off spin. His fearless batting down the order and his ability to absorb and withstand pressure made the Lankan skipper Jayawardene, a canny skipper, push him to open the batting and it has been another masterstroke by the Lankans. Dilshan is as much of a destroyer as Sehwag is, though the Delhi man is probably more feared because of his penchant for getting really big scores in both forms of the game. Dilshan has been a terrific competitor for Lanka and is the new

breed of Lankan cricketers who will not take a backward step in the face of any opposition and in fact will give twice as much back. He and Upul Tharanga make a formidable opening pair with the left and right hand combination making life hard for bowlers who have to constantly make the adjustment to their line and length. Tharanga and Jayasuriya were a top combo themselves before Dilshan was promoted to open the batting and that meant that Tharanga lost his place in the team for a while. He has stormed back into the team and his calm temperament is the perfect contrast to Dilshan's aggressive one. Both the openers have

been in prime form in the World Cup and their unbeaten opening partnership of 230 won them the game against England with a degree of ease that is not often seen in the knockout stages of the World Cup. They followed it up with another sound partnership that set the stage for Sri Lanka's entry in the final of this edition of the World Cup. Whether they will be able to get another big partnership in the final remains to be seen but theirs will be the early wickets that India will be looking for. For his stroke-filled batting and his priceless ability to pick wickets Dilshan is the CEAT International Cricketer of the Week. PMG

Mumbai: To be able to not only bring the 33-thousand capacity Wankhede to a standstill, but also force them to stand up and applaud at the oppositions feat, is as difficult as it can get in cricket-crazy India. DPMD Jayawardene Sri Lankas very lovable Mahela did just that on Saturday afternoon, scoring an unbeaten 103. The Wankhede stood still, clapping and admiring a century that will go down as one of the classiest in the history of World Cup finals. He brought Lanka out from a chasm and put them atop a mountain of runs with strokes that varied from conventional to exotic, and memorable in the end. Such was the audacity of his strokeplay that when he reached his 14th One-day ton, even the Indian fielders who had stretched themselves across the length and breadth of the park trying to stop his run flow, clapped in awe. Mahela arrived at the crease when Sri Lanka were 60-2, captain Kumar Sangakkara at the other end, and the top order struggling to stay put so that the middle and lower middle order wouldnt have to face pressure. Zaheer Khan had started the attack for India in a brilliant fashion and Lanka

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were yet to reach 50 by the time the bowling Powerplay began. It was then that Mahela began his work of art. The batsman faced Munaf Patel first the bowler was pitching a good line, and was shown respect. Harbhajan Singh came next, bowled one short and Mahela grabbed the opportunity to get his first boundary . Sreesanth was third, spraying it well outside the off-stump and the batsman got the edge for another boundary Yuvraj . Singh kept a good line but the odd one that gave Mahela the space was packed off. The confidence was gradually building, but risks couldnt be taken because the value of holding on to wickets was premium. Mahela decided to bide time. The bad balls were treated with disdain. The good ones dispatched perfectly the rhythm was building and the time was ticking for India to do something different. MS Dhoni summoned Zaheer again. Unfortunately though, for India and Zaheer, Mahela had found his feet at the crease by then. In fact, he was dancing out there in the middle and Indias leading bowler had to do something quickly. There wasnt much he could do though. Once Jayawardene reached his 50 of Sachin Tendulkars over it looked like his confidence had reached sky-high. Late cuts to the fence, moving away from the stumps and plonking pacers over the covers, teeing one off Zaheers bowling through mid-wicket Jayawardene began to show his class. The fact that there was not a single six in the innings showed how despite being in good nick he hardly took risk. There were 30 ground shots to the fence, bringing 52 runs from his eventual 103 in boundaries. It was a lesson in highpressure batting and Mahela taught it so well.