India-Pakistan cricket matches have always been thrilling and emotionally charged for both the players and the fans from the South Asian neighbors, thanks to the well-known on-border relation between the two countries, and the 2011 World Cup semi-final was the historic one in Mohali.
The 2011 World Cup semi-final was the first cricket match between the old foes India and Pakistan on Indian soil after the Mumbai attacks. Since there were so many emotions associated with this clash, MS Dhoni-led Indian cricket team India also gave their best to fly the Indian flag high by thrashing Pakistan by 29 runs to reach the 2011 World Cup final that they eventually won against Sri Lanka.
After the last Pakistani wicket fell, the fireworks exploded all over the country and Suresh Raina termed the high-pressure clash against Pakistan as the “most memorable one” for him.
Raina said on Star Sports' show 'Cricket Connected': “I think the match against Pakistan in the 2011 World Cup is the most memorable one. India had to win the semi-final as the game was crucial for both teams. Pakistan was on top of the pool, as they played a lot of matches in Sri Lanka.”
The former batsman added, “Definitely, I would say 2011 (was most memorable). After that, our team got stronger and we never lost against them in the World Cup. 2011 World Cup was critical because we were playing the tournament on our home soil and we had pressure to play one more game in the final.”
He signed off by saying, “The emotions were different but, we all managed to stay calm. When you're playing against Pakistan, you make sure you give your best. You need to give it back to your team; you need to work hard on your intention, planning, and every other thing. We worked hard, and the whole team did well.”
(With ANI Inputs)
