India Touch New Highs on April 2, 2011

April 2, 2011. Four years have passed since Mahendra Singh Dhoni's iconic six sealed Sri Lanka's fate and scripted India's history. The Asian powerhouse had become only the third country to win the World Cup more than once. Tens of thousands had teemed in from all quarters of Mumbai, India and indeed the sub-continent to see the two co-hosts of the 2011 World Cup face off in the title clash at the Wankhede Stadium and the majority went back home content, happy and beaming.(Full Coverage of World Cup 2015)

The disappointment of a humiliating exit in 2007 had been confirmed after farcical defeats to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. In the next edition, India had the chance to avenge both losses. They started off with a run-riot against Bangladesh in Dhaka and signed off with a sensational chase against the Sri Lanka as the Indian summer set in on the western parts of the country.

And what a stage it was too. The ODI would turn out to be Sachin Tendulkar's last on Indian soil. Movie stars, political heavyweights from both countries, business magnets had along with the common masses turned up to see either team create history. India had of course got off the block first, winning the World Cup in 1983 and Sri Lanka made it in 1996. Victory on that Sunday evening would have made one of them the only Asian country to lift the trophy twice. At the end, it had to be India.

But no one would have dared picked favourites, not even the enthused Indian fans who have known their team to dominate at home.

Unlike their campaign in 2015 in Australia and New Zealand, India had stuttered and stumbled, tying against England, losing to South Africa and their bowlers had on occasion been taken apart on the flat decks. Dhoni's Devils were nowhere near as clinical but they had enough flair to see them through Australia in the quarterfinals and traditional-rivals Pakistan in the semis. It was India's best chance to create history; in front of adoring home fans, in their own backyard. Mumbai was India's, Mumbai was Tendulkar's and they had the noise and the flags to prove it.

But the chances would soon appear to slip away.

After a near-comical toss, Sri Lanka opted to bat. Few teams in the past had won the World Cup chasing. India's own success had come in their successful defence of 183 against the West Indies 28 years ago. But Zaheer Khan and S. Sreesanth were wonderful on that hot, sultry afternoon. They bowled with pace and their fielders backed up with some livewire efforts. Sri Lanka were feeling the heat and when Upul Tharanga fell to Zaheer in the seventh over, the Wankhede erupted in joy. The crescendo would have broken lesser men but not Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, who steadied the ship in the middle overs. After the ship had been steadied, Jayawardene drew the paintbrush that he often used as a bat to cart the Indians to all over the park.

Jayawardene's unbeaten 103 off 88 balls drew a reluctant applause that eventually echoed through the vast expanse of the Marine Drive. And a late-order blitz from Nuwan Kulasekara (32) and Thisara Perara (21 off nine) drew India to a territory they would have rather stayed away from, especially after the early discipline from their pacers - a target of 275, the highest ever needed to win cricket's most coveted trophy.

There was a palpable, nervous energy around the ground. The light breeze from the Arabian Sea drifted into the stadium as the floodlights came on, but that failed to provide any respite as Lasith Malinga removed Virender Sehwag (0) and Tendulkar (18) early in the piece. It was left to Gautam Gambhir and the young, bright-eyed Virat Kohli to stitch together 73 for the third wicket. Once Kohli perished to a Tillekaratne Dilshan's sensational return catch, you could hear a pin drop at the packed Wankhede.(Yuvraj Finds Home in Delhi)

And then the shocked crowds met with a surprise. Out walked Dhoni, ahead of Yuvraj. An out-of-form captain ahead of India's World Cup hero. It was a move akin to Joginder Singh bowling the last over of the tense World T20 final against Pakistan. But would it come off again, in the space of four years. (Yuvraj Singh Happy to Play for Delhi Daredevils Under Gary Kirsten)

The rest, as they say, is history. Gambhir kept his head until he had reached 97 and swung wildly at Perara, while Dhoni moved from 85 not out to 91 not out in 78 balls before embracing Yuvraj. India were world champions after nearly three decades.

There were tears of joy, all around. Fans and the players alike. That was the night Tendulkar cried. He would later reveal that was what he wanted the most in his glittering career, more than the hundred international centuries. His two young children, too young perhaps to understand the significance of the moment, stood and watched their father flanked by teammates. Little Sara was only too happy that dad had finished work and would be able to spend some time at home. Sourav Ganguly stood in a corner and watched, wishing what could have been in Johannesburg eight years ago.(Yuvraj Singh Defensive After Dad Yograj Slams MS Dhoni)

That was a night when Clive Lloyd and Sunil Gavaskar had to walk back to their hotel - Marine Drive was just too crowded for them to be ferried back in luxury cars. But no one gave the two legends a second look. Indian flag-bearing fans had taken over the stretch and the sporting Sri Lankans joined in later. Young men and women sat on the roofs of their cars and sang, blew trumpets and celebrated a feat so rare. Indian cricket had not seen a high like that in a generation.

Four years later, India would fail to defend their crown Down Under but right up to the semifinal against Australia, they played like defending champions should. At the end, it was all evens. India had snatched the World Cup from Australia and in 2015, the Aussies returned the favour.

What happened to the Class of 2011?

Only four players from the Class of 2011 would go on to the next edition - Dhoni, Kohli, Raina and Yuvraj

Yuvraj, the Player-of-the-tournament, was treated for a rare cancer. Though he recovered, he was never the same cricketer again and much to fans' dismay, was ignored for 2015

Tendulkar would go on to play 10 more ODIs, score his 100th hundred and retire from limited overs cricket and Test matches

Gambhir, Sehwag, Zaheer and Harbhajan fell out of favour with the selectors as fresh talent arrived on the scene

Sreesanth, who played the tournament opener and the final, would be one of three players arrested in 2013 on charges of spot-fixing in the IPL