World Cup 2011 India Team

The World Cup 2011 India team ended a 28-year wait and gave a billion people the night of their lives. On 2 April 2011 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, MS Dhoni's men chased down Sri Lanka's 275 to win the final by six wickets, making India two-time World Cup winners and crowning a campaign built on batting depth, Zaheer Khan's new-ball brilliance and Yuvraj Singh's all-round heroics.

India entered the tournament as co-hosts and one of the favourites, but the road was far from smooth. The group stage included a famous tie with England, a shock defeat to South Africa and moments of genuine jeopardy. What defined this side was its composure in the knockout games: a quarter-final win over defending champions Australia, a nerve-shredding semi-final against Pakistan at Mohali, and a final chase that has become part of cricket folklore.

The Road to the Trophy

India opened the tournament at Mirpur against Bangladesh, where Virender Sehwag's blistering 175 set the tone in a 87-run win. The group-stage high point came at Bengaluru against England: both sides finished on 338 in a tied classic, with Sachin Tendulkar's 120 and Zaheer Khan's three wickets in the final over producing one of the great World Cup matches. A three-wicket loss to South Africa at Nagpur — after India collapsed from 267 for 1 — was the low point, but comfortable wins over the Netherlands, Ireland and the West Indies secured top spot in the group.

The quarter-final at Ahmedabad against Australia was the match that changed the tournament. Ricky Ponting's 104 took Australia to 260 for 6, but Gautam Gambhir's 50, Yuvraj Singh's unbeaten 57 and Suresh Raina's fearless 34 not out saw India home by five wickets with 14 balls to spare. It was Australia's first World Cup defeat since 1999 — and Yuvraj was Player of the Match in yet another complete performance.

The Mohali Semi-Final

The semi-final against Pakistan at Mohali on 30 March 2011 was watched by an audience of hundreds of millions and remains one of the most pressurised games ever played. India posted 260 for 9, built around Sachin Tendulkar's scratchy but vital 85 — he was dropped four times — while Wahab Riaz's 5 for 46 kept Pakistan in the contest.

Chasing 261, Pakistan were always behind the rate after early strikes from Zaheer and Munaf Patel. Misbah-ul-Haq's 56 was too slow for the situation, and Pakistan were dismissed for 231, giving India a 29-run win and a place in the final. Tendulkar was Player of the Match; Dhoni would later call it the most difficult game of his captaincy career.

India 2011 World Cup Squad

Ashish Nehra fractured his finger during the tournament and was replaced by Sreesanth, who would go on to play in the final. The squad's depth was exceptional: six players could change a game with the bat, and the bowling had variety in Zaheer's swing, Munaf's accuracy, Harbhajan and Ashwin's spin and Yuvraj's golden-arm left-arm spin.

Yuvraj Singh: Player of the Tournament

Yuvraj Singh was named Player of the Tournament, and few awards have been more richly deserved. He scored 362 runs at an average above 90 and took 15 wickets with his left-arm spin, including a five-wicket haul against Ireland and match-winning fifties in the quarter-final and against the West Indies. All of this while secretly battling the illness that would later be diagnosed as cancer — a revelation that turned his performance into legend.

Zaheer Khan finished as the tournament's joint-highest wicket-taker with 21 scalps, his opening spells setting the tone in almost every game. Sachin Tendulkar, playing his sixth and final World Cup, scored 482 runs — including two centuries — and carried the hopes of a nation on his 38-year-old shoulders.

The 2011 Final at Wankhede

Sri Lanka, inserted after Dhoni's famous toss-call change at the start, posted 274 for 6 on the back of Mahela Jayawardene's sublime unbeaten 103. India's chase began disastrously — Sehwag out second ball, Tendulkar gone for 18 — before Gambhir (97) and the young Virat Kohli (35) rebuilt. Then came the masterstroke: Dhoni promoted himself above Yuvraj to counter the off-spin of Muttiah Muralitharan, and his unbeaten 91 — finished with that towering six over long-on off Nuwan Kulasekara — sealed the win with ten balls to spare.

As the ball sailed into the Mumbai night, the commentary captured it forever: Dhoni finishes off in style, and India lift the World Cup after 28 years. Tendulkar was carried around the ground on Yusuf Pathan's shoulders. The 2011 final remains the only World Cup final in history won by a chasing team on home soil.

The Legacy

The 2011 triumph was India's second World Cup title after Kapil Dev's 1983 heroes, and it completed Sachin Tendulkar's career — the one trophy missing from his cabinet. Dhoni became the only captain in history to win all three major ICC white-ball trophies, and the core of this side — Kohli, Raina, Ashwin, Yuvraj — carried Indian cricket through the next decade. India would add a third title in 2023, but for pure emotion, nothing has matched that night at Wankhede.

Who captained India at the 2011 World Cup?

MS Dhoni captained India at the 2011 World Cup. His unbeaten 91 in the final, including the winning six, is regarded as one of the great captain's innings.

Who was the Player of the Tournament at the 2011 World Cup?

Yuvraj Singh was named Player of the Tournament. He scored 362 runs and took 15 wickets, including a century against the West Indies and a five-wicket haul against Ireland.

What was the score in the 2011 World Cup final?

Sri Lanka scored 274 for 6, and India replied with 277 for 4 in 48.2 overs to win by 6 wickets. MS Dhoni was named Player of the Match for his unbeaten 91.

How many times has India won the Cricket World Cup?

India has won the Cricket World Cup three times: in 1983, 2011 and 2023. The 2011 victory at Wankhede was their second title and came 28 years after the first.

Who was India's highest run-scorer at the 2011 World Cup?

Sachin Tendulkar was India's highest run-scorer with 482 runs, including centuries against England and South Africa. He was playing his sixth and final World Cup.

Which Indian bowler took the most wickets at the 2011 World Cup?

Zaheer Khan took 21 wickets, finishing as the tournament's joint-highest wicket-taker alongside Pakistan's Shahid Afridi.