It was on this day, back in 2011, when MS Dhoni-led India etched their names in history books as they ended the nation's 28-year-old wait for an ODI World Cup title. A star-studded team including the likes of Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh among others, overcame Sri Lanka in the final and became immortal in cricketing history.
As we all know, it was a dramatic chase, led by the likes of MS Dhoni (91* off 79) and Gautam Gambhir (97 off 122) but before that, it was a young Virat Kohli who played an anchor's role alongside Gambhir which steadied the ship, after India were reduced to 31/2.
Indian openers Sachin Tendulkar (18 off 14) and Virender Sehwag (0 off 2) were dismissed early, and hence the responsibility lay on the young shoulders of Gambhir and Kohli to ride the storm. Together, they stitched an 83-run stand for the 3rd wicket, and while Kohli could only score 35 runs in 49 balls on the day, he still calls them the 'most important 35 runs in his career.'
In a recent video posted by Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kohli revealed the three-word message from 'Sachin Paaji' after the latter was dismissed, and Kohli was coming out to bat.
On the 11th anniversary of India's World Cup triumph, Kohli recalled, "I remember the pressure of walking in to bat at two down for 20-something. Sachin and Sehwag, both were out. Sachin paaji had a brief chat with me when I walked in. He said, 'build a partnership. And we did build a partnership, me and Gautam Gambhir."
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While it happened more than a decade ago, the 33-year-old Kohli still remembers the atmosphere, and the jubilance, as if it happened very recently.
"I got 35 and it was probably the most important 35 in my cricket career. I felt very happy that I was a part of putting the team back on track and contributing in the way that I could," he said.
Kohli continued, "Just the thrill of winning the World Cup was something unbelievable. The atmosphere of the crowd singing 'Vande Mataram' and 'Jo Jeeta Vahi Sikandar' songs was surreal. It is something that is so fresh in our memories even now."
