India’s star off-spinner Harbhajan Singh tells mid-day how chuffed he felt on the night of April 2, 2011 when he slept with his World Cup medal around his neck after MS Dhoni & Co beat Sri Lanka at Wankhede Stadium
The Indian cricket team celebrate winning the 2011 World Cup at the Wankhede Stadium on April 2. Pic/Atul Kamble
The beauty of Team India’s World Cup victory on April 2, 2011, exactly 10 years ago, was that it was not dominated by one or two players. It was the culmination of a team effort, where every player chipped in with valuable contributions at different stages.
If Sachin Tendulkar top-scored with 482 runs in nine matches, there was Gautam Gambhir (393), Virender Sehwag (380) and Yuvraj Singh (362), who consistently scored too. Pace ace Zaheer Khan led the bowling charts with 21 wickets, but Yuvraj (15), Munaf Patel (11) and Harbhajan Singh (9) provided regular breakthroughs as well.
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mid-day caught up with Harbhajan on Wednesday for a chat on that famous World Cup win at the Wankhede Stadium. The veteran off-spinner recalled some of the special moments from India’s title-winning campaign, including the high-pressure Pakistan encounter and the summit clash against Sri Lanka.
Edited excerpts from the interview:
Can you believe it’s 10 years since the 2011 World Cup win?
It’s crazy how time flies. It feels like all that happened just recently. It’s all still fresh in the mind. But I don’t really get goosebumps when I go to the Wankhede Stadium because we have played so many times there after that.
Harbhajan Singh is ecstatic after dismissing SL opener T Dilshan in the World Cup final. Pic/AFP
Could you pick one special moment from the campaign?
The most special moment was lifting the World Cup. Nothing can beat that feeling. I slept with the World Cup medal in my neck that night. Speaking about good performances, there were many. Zaheer’s performance against Australia [in the QF], where he bowled Mike Hussey (3) and had Cameron White caught and bowled (12). That turned the game in our favour, and then those three wickets [of England’s Andrew Strauss, Ian Bell and Paul Collingwood] in the tied match. The semi-final win against Pakistan was very special too.
Tell us about those two wickets you took in the semi-final against Pakistan.
For most of us, that was like the final. When you play against Pakistan in a high pressure game, with both Prime Ministers watching, losing is unacceptable. It’s a high-pressure atmosphere. When I came to bowl my second spell, I was shivering. It was important not to leak too many runs and also to take wickets. I dismissed Umar Akmal (29) off the very first ball. It lifted my confidence. I then bowled some yorker-length deliveries to Shahid Afridi (19). I couldn’t afford to give him room to free his arms because the pitch was too good to bat on and with dew coming in, it was not easy to bowl either. I knew that if I kept a few balls tight, he’d give away his wicket because he can’t stay out in the middle for long without doing anything. And my plan worked. His dismissal was most satisfying because had he stayed longer, he could have made it a one-sided affair.
Can you talk us through SL opener T Dilshan’s wicket in the final?
I knew that he’s very good on the off-side. If you bowled a little short, he would cut the ball well. I wanted to take that shot out of his game. So, I tried bowling round the wicket and to his off stump, so if he tried to cut, there was a chance of an inside edge going on to the stumps. And if he tried to sweep, there was a chance of a LBW. And he went for the sweep. He played a tad early, the ball bounced a bit, hit his gloves and deflected on to the stumps. Initially, I didn’t know that he was bowled and realised it only after [wicketkeeper] MS Dhoni began celebrating.
How do you feel when comparisons are drawn between the 2011 team and India’s 1983 World Cup-winning side?
I feel the 1983 team were the best in that era and the one that played in 2011 were the best in their era. And, the current Indian team are the best of this era. Comparisons should not be done to gauge which is the best Indian team. It’s unfair and also disrespectful to compare what both the teams have achieved. The 1983 team inspired us to win the World Cup again. It’s about carrying the legacy forward. We now hope our current team can take this legacy ahead.
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