India are Cricket World Champions

Tears of joy streamed down the cheeks of the members of the mighty Indian team as they repeated history after 28 long years and won the Cricket World Cup to make the nation of a billion-plus people proud.

In a contest befitting the final, the Indian team showed laudable grit, character, iron-willed determination, and ability to withstand the pressure to emerge triumphant over the formidable Sri Lankan batting and bowling attack at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium on Saturday. Chasing the fighting total of 274 runs put up on the board by the Lankans, the Indian team didn’t cave in after losing their most prized openers Virender Sehwag (out for duck on the second ball of the match) and Sachin Tendulkar (18 runs off 14 balls) at the score of 31.

Gautam Gambhir, the Delhi boy, came good on the big day and displayed a steely resolve to build up a valuable partnership with Virat Kohli. But the winsome inning of the day came from the Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. When Kolhi fell to Dilshan and India was 114 for 3, it was Dhoni who promoted himself up the order and came to soak up all the pressure and play the captain’s knock, something that’s been due for a while and something that will doubtlessly silence all his critics.

Gambhir missed his century by a whisker and threw away his wicket when India was 223, paving the way for the in-form Yuvraj Singh to come up and finish things up with the Indian captain. The duo warded off the Malinga threat cautiously and the winning run came from Dhoni’s bat when he whacked the Kulasekara delivery for a sixer, his eyes calmly following the ball as it rocketed into the roaring crowd.

This is the third time in the ten Cricket World Cups so far when the chasing side has gone on to win the finals. This is also India’s second World Cup win after 1983 when Kapil Dev and his boys beat the two-time champs West Indies at Lords.

A word of praise for the Sri Lankans too who put up a fighting total, thanks to the wonderful knock of 103 off just 88 balls from the silken Jayawardene. But as the Lankan captain Sangakarra said in the post match presentation, no score under 350 looks unachievable for India's monster batting line up.

The scenes of Virat Kohli and Yusuf Pathan lifting Sachin Tendulkar on their shoulders for a round of the stadium after the match will forever be etched in the minds of the Indians. The little master did admit that his eyes welled up after Dhoni hammered the winning stroke. “Those were the tears of joy,” Sachin said. The master blaster’s dream of scoring his 100th ton didn’t come true; but his bigger dream of lifting the World Cup became a reality in his home city.

Deservingly, Dhoni was declared the Man of the Match and Yuvraj Singh Man of the Tournament.

Scores:

Sri Lanka (won the toss) 274 for 6 wickets in 50 overs while batting first

India: (chasing) 277 for 4 wickets in 48.2 overs
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