Former India batsman Gautam Gambhir has made a very bold and selfless statement, saying that not him, but the fast bowler Zaheer Khan should have been given the Player of the Match award in the 2011 World Cup final against Sri Lanka.
It was MS Dhoni who received the Man of the Match award for his 91*after he had promoted himself up in the order ahead of Yuvraj Singh.
While many of Gautam Gambhir’s fans often opine that the left-handed batsman should have been awarded the Player of the Match award for his 97 after India had lost two early wickets of Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar, the man himself has now commented that it was Zaheer Khan who set the tone of India’s victory with the ball in hand and should have been awarded.
Fans only talk about my innings and Dhoni’s six: Gautam Gambhir
Zaheer Khan was simply outstanding in his opening spell: the figures of his first spell read 5-3-6-1. This put huge pressure on Sri Lanka as they were only 31/1 after 10 overs. The seamer eventually finished with 2/60.
Gambhir believes if not for Zaheer’s bowling, Sri Lanka would have piled up around 350 runs.
“MS Dhoni got the award but I feel Zaheer Khan was the real Man of the Match. Sri Lanka would have scored around 350 runs had Zaheer not bowled that spell. Nobody recalls his bowling and we only talk about my innings and Dhoni’s six. Zaheer was man of the final,” Gautam Gambhir said, as quoted by CricToday.
Zaheer Khan was MS Dhoni’s go-to bowler in all phases of the game throughout the tournament and was one of the biggest contributors to India’s success in 2011. He finished as the joint-leading wicket-taker in the 2011 World Cup with 21 wickets, sharing the tally with Shahid Afridi.
Meanwhile, under Rohit Sharma India are hoping to do a repeat of 2011 World Cup in the World Cup 2023. India have started on a strong note with massive wins over Australia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Three more wins will all but seal their place in the semi-final.
