MS Dhoni’s most memorable decision was to promote himself above Yuvraj Singh during the grand final against Sri Lanka in the 2011 World Cup. His remarkable decision led India to lift the trophy of World Cup after a 28 year-long wait. But if the decision would have gone wrong, it would be labelled as the worst decision ever in Indian cricket history. Former Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh revealed that it was a calculated decision by Dhoni which worked for India.
Sri Lankan team with the likes of Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara set up a total of 275 runs. While chasing the target, India had a bad start as Virender Sehwag lost his wicket in duck and after which, Sachin Tendulkar lost his wicket cheaply to Lasith Malinga. However, Gautam Gambhir was in great form and he took off the pressure and stitched up a crucial partnership with Virat Kohli of 83 runs. But soon it was broken and Kohli was sent back to the pavilion.
Then a tough decision was taken by MS Dhoni. He promoted himself above Yuvraj Singh, who had a terrific performance in the whole tournament. When the wicketkeeper-batsman entered the field, everyone was astonished. The sixer king has now opened up on the story behind the remarkable decision and his reaction. He said:
“You could hear a pin drop when Tendulkar got out, the crowd sensed that the cup was slipping away. But Gauti was so good that night, and he and Virat stitched together a good partnership. By then, all three of their off-spinners (Muttiah Muralitharan, Suraj Randiv and Tillakaratne Dilshan) had come on to bowl.
“Mahi, Gary and Sachin had a discussion on whether it was better for the right-handed Mahi to go in at the fall of a wicket because of the off-spinners, and when that decision was made, I was relieved that I didn’t have to go out to bat next,” Yuvraj Singh told Cricbuzz.
And the rest is history. Yuvraj set up a strong partnership with Dhoni and the team lifted the trophy for the first time since the last World Cup trophy in 1983