Who Asked MS Dhoni To Come Above Yuvraj Singh In 2011 World Cup Final? Sachin Tendulkar Reveals Truth

Legendary Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar revealed the reason why he gave the idea of promoting MS Dhoni up the order during the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup final, during which the Indian skipper played a knock for the ages to bring back the 50-Over World Cup back home after 28 years. Sachin shared this insight during an 'Ask Me Anything' (AMA) session on Reddit. During the chase of 275 at Wankhede Stadium, India was 114/3 after Virat Kohli's dismissal for 35 when Dhoni came in at number five, ahead of in-form Yuvraj Singh. Dhoni formed a 109-run partnership with Gambhir and remained unbeaten on 91 off 79 balls, including eight fours and two sixes, guiding India to a six-wicket victory.

During the session, an user asked Sachin: "Hi Sachin. Viru revealed that it was your idea to promote MSD ahead of Yuvi in the CWC final. Is that true and what was the reason behind such a strategic change?"  

Sachin did not give a direct answer. He revealed that having a left-right hand combination would have upset the two key off-spinners, Muttiah Muralitharan and Suraj Randiv. He also pointed out Dhoni's experience of having faced Murali in the nets as both of them played for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) from 2008-10.

"There were 2 reasons (behind his idea to promote Dhoni up the order). The left-right batting combination would have upset the two off-spinners, also Muralitharan had played for CSK (from 2008-2010) and MS had played him for 3 seasons in the nets," said Sachin during his AMA.

Sachin's tactical brilliance and years of experience paid off handsomely as India lifted the World Cup after 28 years, and the superstar batter, playing his final 50-over World Cup, lived his dream of lifting the gold in his sixth attempt, ending as India's top-scorer with 482 runs in nine matches at an average of 53.55, with two centuries and two fifties. He was the second-highest run-getter overall.

Topics mentioned in this article

Sachin Tendulkar MS Dhoni Yuvraj Singh India Cricket Team Cricket