Sachin Tendulkar reveals it was him who suggested MS Dhoni to bat above Yuvraj in World Cup 2011 final

Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag disclosed the full discussion in World Cup 2011 final.

Dhoni and Yuvraj | Getty

India skipper MS Dhoni coming up ahead of Yuvraj Singh in the World Cup 2011 final is considered as a masterstroke. The former India cricketer Sachin Tendulkar revealed it was his call to promote Dhoni in the batting line-up.

Sachin wanted India to have the left-right combination in the middle. With Gautam Gambhir, the left-handed batsman at one end, Dhoni walked out to bat.

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He wanted the batting combination to counter Sri Lanka's two quality off-spinners. "Gautam (Gambhir) was batting brilliantly and someone like Dhoni could've kept rotating the strike," Tendulkar told Times of India.

"So I told Viru, 'tu overs ke beech mein sirf ye baat bahar jaake MS ko bol aur next over shuru hone se pehle waapis aaja. Main yahan se nahi hilne wala (Just go out into the balcony between the overs only to say this much to MS and come back fast before the next over begins. I'm not moving from here)."

Tendulkar, being superstitious, had earlier asked Virender Sehwag to sit with him in the dressing room. "I came back to the dressing room after I got out and went and sat in my seat. During the quarter-final, against Australia, after our (Tendulkar & Sehwag's) partnership, I had returned to the dressing room and was lying down on the physio's table and Viru was next to me. We hadn't moved. Even this time (at Wankhede), coincidentally, Viru happened to be there and I asked him to sit next to me and not move," he said.

Sehwag said just when Tendulkar was done talking, the then India captain Dhoni walked into the dressing room and he passed on the strategy.

"I asked MS to consider this strategy," said Tendulkar. "He then went to (coach) Gary (Kirsten), who was sitting outside. Then Gary came in and all four of us got talking about it. Gary too agreed it was the right thing to do, given the attack on hand. MS also agreed and promoted himself up the order," he said.

The move made a huge difference and Dhoni went on to play innings of his life. He scored unbeaten 91 off 79 balls.

Gautam Gambhir scored 97 in the match and laid the foundation of India's victory. "Gautam's knock was exemplary. It put the chase in perspective and set the platform. And the way MS finished it was brilliant. It was an imperious knock. That six was the icing on the cake," said Tendulkar.

(WITH TIMES OF INDIA INPUTS)

 
 

By Sihyeu Singh - 05 Apr, 2020

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