The 10th edition of the ODI World Cup was co-hosted by the Asian teams in 2011. India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh hosted the tournament. It had a total of 49 games played between February 19 and April 02. 14 top teams from around the world took part in this competition. All 14 teams were divided into two groups of seven teams each.
After winning the last three editions in 1999, 2003, and 2007, Australia entered the tournament as the defending champions. However, this edition saw a complete turnaround. For the very first time in history, the host of the competition ended up winning the tournament. It was MS Dhoni who led India to victory after 28 years to become the World Champions in the final at the Wankhede Stadium.
Group A: Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Australia, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Canada, Kenya
Group B: South Africa, India, England, West Indies, Bangladesh, Ireland, Netherlands.
Indiaβs journey in 2011 ODI World Cup
India opened their account with a win over Bangladesh, that beat them in the 2007 ODI World Cup in West Indies. Batting first, India posted a massive score of 370/4, with centuries from Virender Sehwag (175) and Virat Kohli (100*). Bangladesh scored 283/9 and lost the game by 87 runs. The next match was as incredible as it could be. India took on England in Bengaluru, and it ended in a tie. Both teams scored an identical total of 338 runs.
For India, Sachin Tendulkar (120) and for England, Andrew Strauss (158) scored centuries. India won their next game comprehensively against Ireland by five wickets. Yuvraj Singh picked up five wickets and scored 50 not out. The next game didn’t go as expected, and India suffered a three-wicket loss against South Africa in a close game. Tendulkar made 111 runs in that game. But India bounced back well in their next game. They beat the West Indies by 80 runs.
India made 268 runs with the help of a century from Yuvraj Singh (113) and dismissed the West Indies for 188. India faced the defending champion Australia in the quarterfinals. Batting first, Australia made 260/6 in the first inning. India chased down the target in 47.4 overs and made 261/5 in 47.4 overs to win the game. It helped India qualify for the semi-final. The hosts played archrival Pakistan in the semi-final in Mohali. India made 260/9 in the first inning with a help of Tendulkar’s 85. They bowled out Pakistan for 231 to win the game and move into the finals.
Indian Squad for the 2011 World Cup
Mahendra Singh Dhoni (C & wk), Virender Sehwag (vc), Gautam Gambhir, Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Virat Kohli, Yusuf Pathan, Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh, Ashish Nehra, Munaf Patel, S. Sreesanth, Piyush Chawla, Ravi Ashwin
India’s Roadmap to 2011 World Cup Final
The grand final took place at Wankhede Stadium between India and Sri Lanka. Batting first, Sri Lanka posted a tough total of 274/6. Skipper Mahela Jayawardene made an unbeaten 103 off 88. Chasing the target, India lost, in-form Sachin Tendulkar (18) and Virender Sehwag (0) early. But Gautam Gambhir (97) stayed strong and stitched some useful partnerships in the middle. In the end, a brilliant cameo from skipper MS Dhoni (91 off 79) helped India seal the deal. His iconic six to finish of the game is still in the memory of the Indian fans.
| Match | Vs | Venue | Date | Result |
| Group B | Bangladesh | Dhaka | Feb 19, Sat | won by 87 runs |
| Group B | England | Bengaluru | Feb 27, Sun | Match tied |
| Group B | Ireland | Bengaluru | Mar 06, Sun | won by 5 wkts |
| Group B | Netherlands | Delhi | Mar 09, Wed | won by 5 wkts |
| Group B | South Africa | Nagpur | Mar 12, Sat | lost by 3 wkts |
| Group B | West Indies | Chennai | Mar 20, Sun | won by 80 runs |
| Quarter-Final | Australia | Ahmedabad | Mar 24, Thu | won by 5 wkts |
| Semi-final | Pakistan | Mohali | Mar 30, Wed | won by 29 runs |
| Final | Sri Lanka | Mumbai | Apr 02, Sat | won by 6 wkts |
IND Most Runs in 2011 World Cup
| Batter | Mts | Runs | Hs | Avg | 50/100 |
| Sachin Tendulkar | 9 | 482 | 120 | 53.55 | 2/2 |
| Gautam Gambhir | 9 | 393 | 97 | 43.66 | 4/0 |
| Virender Sehwag | 8 | 380 | 175 | 47.50 | 1/1 |
| Yuvraj Singh | 9 | 362 | 133 | 90.50 | 4/1 |
| Virat Kohli | 9 | 282 | 100* | 35.25 | 1/1 |
IND Most Wickets in 2011 World Cup
| Bowler | Mts | Wkts | BBI | Econ | 4/5 |
| Zaheer Khan | 9 | 21 | 3/20 | 4.83 | 0/0 |
| Yuvraj Singh | 9 | 15 | 5/31 | 5.02 | 0/1 |
| Munaf Patel | 8 | 11 | 4/48 | 5.36 | 1/0 |
| Harbhajan Singh | 9 | 9 | 3/53 | 4.48 | 0/0 |
| Ravi Ashwin | 2 | 4 | 2/41 | 4.65 | 0/0 |