The sense of euphoria and elation that has engulfed the whole of India after MS Dhoni lifted the ICC World Cup is all encompassing, all pervasive. The people of India are grateful to the men in blue for having uplifted the national mood so emphatically!
How did Unshakeable Team Spirit- Indian teams of the past have often had internal fissures to deal with. The present team has, however, gelled magnificently under the leadership of Dhoni. Super stars like Sachin Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan could often be seen egging on new players like Virat Kohli and Munaf Patel. The team seemed totally focussed on winning the Cup. Team India accomplish this monumental task? Here are the top seven reasons why India won the Cup.
Text Courtesy: Vivek Atray
Images Courtesy: www.sportspagefair.com
Indian teams of the past have often had internal fissures to deal with. The present team has, however, gelled magnificently under the leadership of Dhoni. Super stars like Sachin Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan could often be seen egging on new players like Virat Kohli and Munaf Patel. The team seemed totally focussed on winning the Cup.
Tendulkar's unbridled enthusiasm at the age of 38 rubbed off on the whole team and the youngsters looked up to him and other seniors for advice and inspiration at key moments.
Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer and Harbhajan Singh too brought in the maturity while younger stars like Gautam Gambhir, Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli provided the spark that the team needed.
MS Dhoni has changed the way Indian cricket is played and may even leave an indelible mark on the world stage before he is done. His unflappable style as captain goes well with his efficient wicket-keeping and innovative batsmanship to make him one of the most valuable players in world cricket.
Our generation and the ones before and after us have been fortunate to witness Tendulkar at his very best. The fact that he has batted at such a sublime level for over two decades is astonishing!
Generations to come would not believe that a player wielded the willow to such perfection for so long. In this tournament he ended up as the second highest scorer after T.Dilshan.
Zaheer Khan ('Zak' to his team mates) shouldered the burden of India's bowling almost single-handedly and came up with 21 wickets to finish as the Cup's joint highest wicket taker alongside Shahid Afridi.
Before the World Cup began Yuvraj Singh was not in the best of form. He raised his game by several notches once the tournament began and the runs started to flow.
His bowling was so dependable that Dhoni could use him as the fifth bowler without hesitation. That he won the Man of the Tournament award and 4 Man of the Match awards indicates how vital Yuvraj was to India's success.
Players like Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan and R. Ashwin who did not figure in all the matches did not display any nerves despite the high pressure of the World Cup. Each Indian player, from the amazing Sehwag to the doughty Harbhajan played his part with grit and tenacity.
The self-belief that they can win from any situation translated into success after success, never more so than in the grand finale against the very tough Sri Lankans.