A nation united: Reminiscing the madness that followed after India won the 2011 ICC World Cup

Relying on memories can be tricky.

These are moments which you swear you’ll never forget. And then 12 years pass and it all seems a little…hazy?

Perhaps it is age. More than the actual images, it is the emotions attached to those images which you so vicariously remember.

“Dhoni finishes it off in style. India lift the World Cup after 28 years”

A mass outpouring of relief. Do you remember that exact moment when the ball went into the stands? That exact microsecond when Mahendra Singh Dhoni held his pose and stared into space as Yuvraj  Singh, the hero of that World Cup, started celebrating.

For many 90s kids, that one microsecond betrayed a moment of confusion. Had this really happened? For years, this was that trusted prize, that promised land. We had heard only mythical stories of the 1983 heist and only dreamt about it. Every World Cup would come and we would hope, “This is our year”. We came so agonizingly close in 2003 before THAT final. Then there was the agony and ecstasy of 2007 — knocked out in the first round of the One-Day International format, unfancied, unheralded winners of the first-ever Twenty20 World Cup.

But this was real. It was true. And that remains the one overriding memory of the last World Cup that came to India. The emotions attached to each match India played and the immense outpouring that followed when they went and won it all.

Hosts but not favourites

In 2023, India, by virtue of being the hosts, are considered firm favourites for the title. In part, that is not only because of the strength of the team they possess, but also because of the history of the last three World Cups (2011, 2015, 2019) – all won by the hosts.

But pre-2011, being a host wasn’t the best omen. From 1975 to 2007, the only hosts who had won the World Cup were Sri Lanka in 1996 and that too, when they co-hosted the World Cup. Being a host was almost considered disadvantageous – the pressure of expectations, especially on an Indian team playing in front of their own fans, was considered too much.

Of course, we know how the story went. You remember hazy images, a whirlwind of all the matches and the intense emotions associated with each of them. Virender Sehwag’s first ball boundary in Mirpur against Bangladesh which started the World Cup off. A slew of resigned emotions when India first tied against England and then lost against South Africa. “Oh no, it’s happening again”.

Yuvraj turns it on

It was during the colourful days of Holi that India beat West Indies in their and the tournament’s last match of the group stage. And something changed. Suddenly destiny started favouring India. Even a Ricky Ponting special could not best this India in the quarter-final. The charged emotions of Yuvraj refusing to crumble, refusing to take a backward step, putting an Australian combined bowling attack of Brett Lee, Shaun Tait and Mitchell Johnson to the sword and India almost waltzing into a semi-final against Pakistan. Ah, those were the days.

To be fair, the semi-final against Pakistan in Mohali probably didn’t live up to its incredible billing. It became a match of which team made fewer mistakes and Pakistan made way too many. They dropped too many chances to let Sachin play a quite un-Sachin-like innings. When they batted, they were almost always below the required run-rate and while Misbah-ul-Haq did threaten, it was almost as if he only delaying the inevitable.

And so, on the cavalcade moved. To a newly-refurbished Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

All eyes on Mumbai

Between 30th March and 2nd April 2011, everyone wanted to be in Mumbai. It didn’t matter who had a ticket or not — everyone just wanted to be near the Wankhede Stadium. Mumbai was the cynosure of all eyes — every dignitary worth their salt wanted only to be spotted in one place.

And we all know how it went. The memories dance around us. One of Mahela Jayawardene’s best-ever knocks. Sri Lanka finish on a doughty 274/6. Sehwag misses the first ball from Lasith Malinga and is out. The spectre of the 100th 100 continues to haunt Sachin as he tries his iconic cover drive against  Malinga and is caught behind. India are 31/2. But we know how the script goes, right?



The numbers will forever be imprinted in our minds. Gautam Gambhir. 97 off 122 deliveries. Virat Kohli. 35 off 49 deliveries. And…and…Dhoni. Pushing himself up to No 5. 91 not out off 79 deliveries. A knock for the ages. A shot to banish away those years of misery and sadness. India win the World Cup after 28 years.

A nation united

And then the country erupted in a way it never had before. Mass celebrations are common on Indian streets — that’s how we roll, right? But this was unprecedented. It was a primal release of happiness. No one cared if they knew the other person — the only thing that mattered was we had won. Strangers hugged each other, wearing the blue and clutching an Indian flag, dancing in gay abandon to whatever was playing. The roads were taken over by bikers and honking cars. No one was scared, no one seemed worried — it was the one night to shed all inhibitions and drink in the glory.

For that one night. states, identities, languages, castes, and political affiliations disappeared. The country was united in a way that it rarely has been before. In a country fractured by numerous lines, it was a stunning moment. Amidst the cheering, you were only Indian. And nothing else.

Who knows? Maybe, we’ll see a repeat in 2023?