The final match of the 2011 Men’s Cricket World Cup, the 10th edition of ICC’s championship of One Day International (ODI) cricket, was the 2011 Cricket World Cup Final. It took place between India and Sri Lanka at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Saturday, April 2, 2011.
This match marked the first instance of two Asian teams facing each other in an ODI World Cup final. India clinched victory by six wickets, securing its second World Cup win since the 1983 tournament, and becoming the third team to achieve the title more than once, following Australia (1987, 1999, 2003, 2007) and the West Indies (1975 and 1979). Moreover, India made history by becoming the first country to win the Cricket World Cup on their home turf.
Both India and Sri Lanka had navigated through three stages to reach the final. India had lost only two matches until that point, against South Africa and tying with England in the group stage. Conversely, Sri Lanka had also lost only two matches, against Pakistan and a no-result against Australia in the group stage.
After winning the toss, Sri Lanka’s captain Kumar Sangakkara opted to bat first. Despite a slow start, the team witnessed a breakthrough in the 17th over when they lost both their openers. Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene then formed a partnership, adding 62 runs before Sangakkara was dismissed for 48 runs.
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Jayawardene, however, displayed a stellar performance, scoring 103 runs off 88 balls, and alongside Thisara Perera, contributed to a partnership of 66 runs, elevating Sri Lanka’s total to 274 runs at the end of the innings.
In response, India lost their opener Virender Sehwag to the second ball of the innings, dismissed LBW by Lasith Malinga. Sachin Tendulkar also fell quickly. The subsequent batting duo, Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli, accumulated 83 runs in 15 overs before Kohli departed in the 22nd over. India’s captain MS Dhoni, elevating himself up the order, partnered with Gambhir, and together they amassed 109 runs, setting an Indian record in a World Cup final.
Gambhir was eventually dismissed for 97 runs in the 42nd over. India successfully chased down the target, clinching the match by six wickets in the 49th over. Dhoni’s exceptional performance earned him the “man of the match” title for scoring 91 runs, while his teammate Yuvraj Singh was bestowed with the “man of the tournament” award.
The match garnered the attention of approximately 42,000 spectators at the venue and around 135 million viewers on television in India. This marked the second occasion in World Cup history where a host nation emerged victorious in the final and the first instance of winning on home soil.
The 2011 Cricket World Cup, the tenth edition organized by the International Cricket Council (ICC), took place between February 19 and April 2, 2011. Co-hosted by India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh, the tournament marked the third World Cup held in the Indian subcontinent. Pakistan was excluded from participation due to security concerns.
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The competition featured 14 participating teams, including four associate members of the ICC—Kenya, Canada, Ireland, and Netherlands.
The final match was hosted at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, marking the city’s debut as a venue for a World Cup final. This event also marked the second final hosted by India, following the 1987 final held at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
Additionally, it was the first final to feature two teams from the same continent and the first instance of two co-hosts contesting the final.
India was making its third appearance in a World Cup final, having won in 1983 and lost in 2003. Sri Lanka, appearing in their third World Cup final, emerged victorious against Australia in 1996 and finished as runners-up (to Australia) in the previous World Cup in 2007.
Prior to this encounter, India and Sri Lanka had faced each other seven times in World Cup history, with Sri Lanka holding a slight advantage of four wins against India’s two, with one match ending in a no-result. In One Day Internationals, India led Sri Lanka with 75 victories against Sri Lanka’s 52, while 11 matches had ended with no result.
ICC World Cup 2011 Final: Who won the toss?
A controversy arose during the toss called by Kumar Sangakkara. Although the toss initially resulted in heads, the match referee Jeff Crowe failed to hear the call amidst the noise from the crowd. Consequently, it was determined that a re-toss would take place. In the second toss, Sangakkara again called heads as the coin was spun. Emerging victorious in the re-toss, he opted for his team to bat first.
ICC World Cup 2011 – Sri Lanka Innings
Sri Lanka struggled at the start against Zaheer Khan’s tight bowling and sharp fielding from Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, and Virat Kohli. Zaheer began with three maidens, taking the wicket of Upul Tharanga and conceding only six runs in his five-over spell.
Tillakaratne Dilshan was bowled by Harbhajan Singh, and Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene steadied the innings. Sangakkara fell for 48, and Thilan Samaraweera, initially given not out, was later dismissed upon review.
Chamara Kapugedera was caught by Zaheer Khan, while Jayawardene’s brilliant batting led to a score of 103 not out from 88 balls. Sri Lanka scored 91 runs in the last 10 overs, reaching 274/6, aided by contributions from Nuwan Kulasekara and Thisara Perera.
ICC World Cup 2011 – India Innings
India had a shaky start as Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar fell early to Lasith Malinga, leaving them at 31 for two. Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir then steadied the innings with an 83-run partnership before Kohli was dismissed for 35. Dhoni, batting at number five, joined Gambhir and together they added 109 runs for the fourth wicket.
Gambhir scored 97 before being bowled by Thisara Perera, and Dhoni remained unbeaten on 91 as India chased down the target. India’s successful chase of 274 set a record for the highest run-chase in a World Cup final.
The match showcased the batting prowess of both teams, with the top three run-scorers of the tournament coming from India and Sri Lanka. Tillekaratne Dilshan, Sachin Tendulkar, and Kumar Sangakkara were the top scorers, with additional strong performances from players like Upul Tharanga, Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, and Yuvraj Singh among the top 10 scorers.
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ICC World Cup 2011 Final Scorecard
ICC World Cup 2011 final – 1st Innings
| Sri Lankan Batting | ||||||
| Player | Status | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | Strike rate |
| Upul Tharanga | c Sehwag b Khan | 2 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 10.00 |
| Tillakaratne Dilshan | b Harbhajan Singh | 33 | 49 | 3 | 0 | 67.34 |
| Kumar Sangakkara | c Dhoni b Yuvraj Singh | 48 | 67 | 5 | 0 | 71.64 |
| Mahela Jayawardene | not out | 103 | 88 | 13 | 0 | 117.04 |
| Thilan Samaraweera | lbw b Yuvraj Singh | 21 | 34 | 2 | 0 | 61.76 |
| Chamara Kapugedera | c Raina b Khan | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 20.00 |
| Nuwan Kulasekara | run out (Dhoni) | 32 | 30 | 1 | 1 | 106.66 |
| Thisara Perera | not out | 22 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 244.44 |
| Lasith Malinga | did not bat | – | – | – | – | – |
| Suraj Randiv | did not bat | – | – | – | – | – |
| Muttiah Muralitharan | did not bat | – | – | – | – | – |
| Extras | (b 1, lb 3, w 6, nb 2) | 12 | – | – | – | – |
| Total | (6 wickets; 50 overs) | 274 | – | – | – | – |
Fall of wickets: 1–17 (Tharanga, 6.1 ov), 2–60 (Dilshan, 16.5 ov), 3–122 (Sangakkara, 27.5 ov), 4–179 (Samaraweera, 38.1 ov), 5–182 (Kapugedera, 39.5 ov), 6–248 (Kulasekara, 47.6 ov)
| Indian Bowling | |||||||
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Econ | Wides | NBs |
| Zaheer Khan | 10 | 3 | 60 | 2 | 6.00 | 1 | 0 |
| Sreesanth | 8 | 0 | 52 | 0 | 6.50 | 0 | 2 |
| Munaf Patel | 9 | 0 | 41 | 0 | 4.55 | 1 | 0 |
| Harbhajan Singh | 10 | 0 | 50 | 1 | 5.00 | 1 | 0 |
| Yuvraj Singh | 10 | 0 | 49 | 2 | 4.90 | 0 | 0 |
| Sachin Tendulkar | 2 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 6.00 | 3 | 0 |
| Virat Kohli | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6.00 | 0 | 0 |
ICC World Cup 2011 Final – 2nd Innings
| Indian Batting | ||||||
| Player | Status | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | Strike rate |
| Virender Sehwag | lbw b Malinga | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Sachin Tendulkar | c Sangakkara b Malinga | 18 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 128.57 |
| Gautam Gambhir | b Perera | 97 | 122 | 9 | 0 | 79.50 |
| Virat Kohli | c & b Dilshan | 35 | 49 | 4 | 0 | 71.42 |
| Mahendra Singh Dhoni | not out | 91 | 79 | 8 | 2 | 115.18 |
| Yuvraj Singh | not out | 21 | 24 | 2 | 0 | 87.50 |
| Suresh Raina | did not bat | – | – | – | – | – |
| Harbhajan Singh | did not bat | – | – | – | – | – |
| Zaheer Khan | did not bat | – | – | – | – | – |
| Munaf Patel | did not bat | – | – | – | – | – |
| Sreesanth | did not bat | – | – | – | – | – |
| Extras | (b 1, lb 6, w 8) | 15 | – | – | – | – |
| Total | (4 wickets; 48.2 overs) | 277 | – | – | – | – |
Fall of wickets: 1–0 (Sehwag, 0.2 ov), 2–31 (Tendulkar, 6.1 ov), 3–114 (Kohli, 21.4 ov), 4–223 (Gambhir, 41.2 ov)
| Sri Lankan Bowling | |||||||
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Econ | Wides | NBs |
| Lasith Malinga | 9 | 0 | 42 | 2 | 4.66 | 2 | 0 |
| Nuwan Kulasekara | 8.2 | 0 | 64 | 0 | 7.68 | 0 | 0 |
| Thisara Perera | 9 | 0 | 55 | 1 | 6.11 | 2 | 0 |
| Suraj Randiv | 9 | 0 | 43 | 0 | 4.77 | 0 | 0 |
| Tillakaratne Dilshan | 5 | 0 | 27 | 1 | 5.40 | 1 | 0 |
| Muttiah Muralitharan | 8 | 0 | 39 | 0 | 4.87 | 1 | 0 |
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Frequently Asked Question (FAQs)
Who won the toss in the 2011 Cricket World Cup Final?
A: Sri Lanka’s captain, Kumar Sangakkara, won the toss in the 2011 Cricket World Cup Final.
Why was there a controversy during the toss in the 2011 Cricket World Cup Final?
A: A controversy arose during the toss when the match referee, Jeff Crowe, did not hear Kumar Sangakkara’s call amidst the crowd noise. As a result, it was decided to conduct a re-toss.
Who emerged as the top run-scorers in the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup Final?
A: The top run-scorers in the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup Final were Mahela Jayawardene from Sri Lanka, scoring 103 runs not out, and Gautam Gambhir from India, scoring 97 runs.
What was the final result of the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup Final?
A: India emerged victorious in the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup Final, defeating Sri Lanka by six wickets. India successfully chased down Sri Lanka’s total of 274 runs to claim their second World Cup title.
