2011 Cricket World Cup Final: India’s Historic Triumph
Relive the 2011 Cricket World Cup final: Jayawardene's 103*, India at 31/2, Gambhir's 97 and Dhoni's 91* with the six that ended India's 28-year wait.
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India needed 275. Sehwag was out to the second ball, Tendulkar in the seventh over, and the Wankhede went quiet at 31 for 2. This is the story of the 2011 Cricket World Cup final, stage by stage: Jayawardene’s hundred, Gambhir’s 97, Dhoni’s decision to bat ahead of Yuvraj Singh, and the six off Nuwan Kulasekara that ended a 28-year wait. Every score here is checked against the match scorecard.
💡 Short Answer
India won the 2011 Cricket World Cup final on 2 April 2011 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, beating Sri Lanka by six wickets. Sri Lanka made 274 for 6, with 103 not out from Mahela Jayawardene. India recovered from 31 for 2 to reach 277 for 4 in 48.2 overs, with 97 from Gautam Gambhir and 91 not out from captain MS Dhoni, who finished it with a six.
2011 World Cup Final: Key Questions
The 2011 Final in Ten Points
- Re-toss: Sangakkara’s first call went unheard; he won the second toss and batted.
- Zaheer’s spell: three opening maidens and six runs from his first five overs.
- Jayawardene’s 103*: Sri Lanka reached 274 for 6, with 91 in the last 10 overs.
- The collapse: Malinga removed Sehwag (0) and Tendulkar (18). India 31 for 2.
- The rebuild: Gambhir and Kohli added 83; Gambhir and Dhoni added 109.
- The gamble: Dhoni batted at No. 5, ahead of the tournament’s best player.
- So close: Gambhir bowled for 97 with 52 still needed from 52 balls.
- The finish: four needed from 11 balls; Dhoni hit Kulasekara over long-on for six.
- Firsts: first host nation to win a final at home; highest chase in a World Cup final.
- Farewells: Tendulkar’s last World Cup, Muralitharan’s last ODI.
275 to win. Tap each stage of the chase.
Every score below is from the scorecard. The pressure bar is our reading of the moment, not a statistic.
The 2011 World Cup Final Scorecard
Sri Lanka v India, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, 2 April 2011. Sri Lanka won the toss and batted.
Sri Lanka innings
| Batter | How out | Runs | Balls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upul Tharanga | c Sehwag b Zaheer | 2 | 20 |
| Tillakaratne Dilshan | b Harbhajan | 33 | 49 |
| Kumar Sangakkara (capt) | c Dhoni b Yuvraj | 48 | 67 |
| Mahela Jayawardene | not out | 103 | 88 |
| Thilan Samaraweera | lbw b Yuvraj | 21 | 34 |
| Chamara Kapugedera | c Raina b Zaheer | 1 | 5 |
| Nuwan Kulasekara | run out (Dhoni) | 32 | 30 |
| Thisara Perera | not out | 22 | 9 |
| Total | 274/6 (50 overs). Bowling: Zaheer 10-3-60-2, Yuvraj 10-0-49-2, Harbhajan 10-0-50-1 | ||
India innings
| Batter | How out | Runs | Balls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virender Sehwag | lbw b Malinga | 0 | 2 |
| Sachin Tendulkar | c Sangakkara b Malinga | 18 | 14 |
| Gautam Gambhir | b Perera | 97 | 122 |
| Virat Kohli | c & b Dilshan | 35 | 49 |
| MS Dhoni (capt) | not out | 91 | 79 |
| Yuvraj Singh | not out | 21 | 24 |
| Total | 277/4 (48.2 overs). Bowling: Malinga 9-0-42-2, Perera 9-0-55-1, Dilshan 5-0-27-1, Muralitharan 8-0-39-0 | ||
Fall of wickets, India: 1-0 (Sehwag, 0.2 overs), 2-31 (Tendulkar, 6.1), 3-114 (Kohli, 21.4), 4-223 (Gambhir, 41.2). Umpires: Aleem Dar and Simon Taufel. Match referee: Jeff Crowe.
The Full Timeline: From 1983 to the Six, and After
Newest first. The final itself is told ball by ball in the entries dated 2 April 2011.
2026
Fifteen years on2026
The final turns 15. India have since lost the 2023 final to Australia in Ahmedabad, but won the T20 World Cup in 2024 and the Champions Trophy in 2025. The next ODI World Cup is in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia in 2027.
Two seats become a memorial
The Mumbai Cricket Association unveils a memorial at the two seats where Dhoni’s winning six is believed to have landed, in the stand beyond long-on, ahead of the 2023 World Cup matches at the Wankhede.
2011
The morning after
President Pratibha Patil receives the team and the trophy at Raj Bhavan in Mumbai. Coach Gary Kirsten, in charge since 2008, leaves as planned. For Muttiah Muralitharan, Thilan Samaraweera and India’s Sreesanth, the final was their last ODI.
2011
The six
Needing four runs from 11 balls, Dhoni hits Nuwan Kulasekara over long-on into the crowd. India finish on 277 for 4 with 10 balls to spare: the highest successful chase in a World Cup final, and the first final won by a host nation at home. Dhoni ends on 91 not out from 79 balls.
2011
Gambhir falls for 97
After adding 109 with Dhoni, then a record for any wicket by India in a World Cup final, Gautam Gambhir charges Thisara Perera looking for his hundred and is bowled for 97 from 122 balls. India need 52 from 52. Yuvraj Singh joins his captain.
2011
Dhoni walks out at No. 5
When Virat Kohli is caught and bowled by Tillakaratne Dilshan, ending an 83-run stand with Gambhir, the next man out is not Yuvraj Singh, the batter of the tournament, but Dhoni. It keeps a right-left pairing with the left-handed Gambhir, and puts India’s captain against Muralitharan, whom he had faced for years in the Chennai Super Kings nets.
2011
Malinga strikes twice
Lasith Malinga traps Virender Sehwag lbw with the second ball of the chase. Sachin Tendulkar, in his home city, hits two fours in a brisk 18 from 14 balls before edging Malinga to Kumar Sangakkara in the seventh over. India are 31 for 2, chasing 275.
2011
Jayawardene’s 103 not out
After a re-toss, Sri Lanka bat. Zaheer Khan opens with three maidens and concedes six runs in his first five overs, removing Upul Tharanga. Mahela Jayawardene then plays one of the great World Cup final innings: 103 not out from 88 balls, with 13 fours. Kulasekara and Thisara Perera help Sri Lanka to 274 for 6, adding 91 in the last 10 overs.
2011
India beat Pakistan in Mohali
With both prime ministers, Manmohan Singh and Yousuf Raza Gilani, in the stands, India make 260 for 9. Tendulkar scores 85, surviving four dropped catches, and Wahab Riaz takes 5 for 46. Pakistan are all out for 231. Each of India’s five bowlers takes two wickets.
2011
Australia’s reign ends
Australia, champions in 1999, 2003 and 2007, make 260 for 6 with 104 from Ricky Ponting. India chase it with 14 balls to spare. Tendulkar and Gambhir make fifties, and Yuvraj Singh finishes on 57 not out after an unbroken 74 with Suresh Raina. He had also taken 2 for 44.
2011
Yuvraj’s hundred in Chennai
Yuvraj makes 113 and India finish second in Group B behind South Africa, setting up a quarter-final against Australia.
2011
The only defeat
Tendulkar scores 111 and India are 267 for 1, then lose nine wickets for 29 runs to be all out for 296. South Africa scrape home with two balls left. It is India’s only loss of the tournament.
2011
The Bengaluru tie
Tendulkar’s 120 takes India to 338. England are 280 for 2 with Andrew Strauss on 158 when Zaheer Khan removes Ian Bell and Strauss in successive balls. England need two off the last ball and get one. The match is tied.
2011
Sehwag’s 175 opens the tournament
The tenth World Cup starts in Dhaka: 14 teams, 49 matches, co-hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Sehwag hits the first ball for four and makes 175; Kohli scores a hundred on World Cup debut.
Knocked out in the first round
In the Caribbean, India lose to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka and go home after the group stage. Four years later, Sri Lanka are their opponents in the final.
The last final before 2011
Sourav Ganguly’s India reach the final and Tendulkar is Player of the Tournament with 673 runs, but Australia make 359 for 2 and win by 125 runs.
Home semi-finals
India co-host twice. In 1987 they lose the semi-final to England at the Wankhede. In 1996 the semi-final against Sri Lanka at Eden Gardens is awarded to Sri Lanka after crowd trouble. Tendulkar’s first World Cup was 1992.
1983
The first title
Kapil Dev’s India defend 183 and bowl out the two-time champions for 140 to win by 43 runs, one of the biggest upsets in the sport. It becomes the benchmark for every Indian team that follows.
India are 114 for 3 in the 22nd over. Who walks out?
Kohli has just been caught and bowled. Gambhir, a left-hander, is set on about 50. Muralitharan, in his last ODI, still has overs left. You are MS Dhoni.
Tap A, B or C.
What Dhoni did
Choose an option, then tap Reveal.
India’s Road to the Final
Nine matches: seven wins, one tie, one defeat.
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Key Indian innings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Feb | Bangladesh | Dhaka | Won by 87 runs | Sehwag 175 |
| 27 Feb | England | Bengaluru | Tied (338 each) | Tendulkar 120 |
| 6 Mar | Ireland | Bengaluru | Won by 5 wickets | Yuvraj 50* and 5/31 |
| 9 Mar | Netherlands | Delhi | Won by 5 wickets | Yuvraj 51* |
| 12 Mar | South Africa | Nagpur | Lost by 3 wickets | Tendulkar 111 |
| 20 Mar | West Indies | Chennai | Won by 80 runs | Yuvraj 113 |
| 24 Mar | Australia (QF) | Ahmedabad | Won by 5 wickets | Yuvraj 57* |
| 30 Mar | Pakistan (SF) | Mohali | Won by 29 runs | Tendulkar 85 |
| 2 Apr | Sri Lanka (F) | Mumbai | Won by 6 wickets | Dhoni 91* |
India were not dominant in the group. They tied with England and lost to South Africa, both times after collapsing late with the bat, and finished second in Group B. The knockout run was harder: Australia, winners of the previous three World Cups, in Ahmedabad; Pakistan in Mohali, watched by both prime ministers; and Sri Lanka, the 1996 champions, who had beaten England by 10 wickets and New Zealand on the way to their second final in a row.
The Players Who Won It
MS Dhoni: 91* (79)
Came in at 114 for 3, ahead of Yuvraj. Batted within himself with Gambhir, then took over. Became the second Indian captain, after Kapil Dev, to lift the ODI World Cup.
Gautam Gambhir: 97 (122)
Walked in at 0 for 1 in the first over and batted until the 42nd. Part of stands of 31, 83 and 109. Missed a World Cup final hundred by three runs.
Yuvraj Singh: 362 runs, 15 wickets
Four Player of the Match awards, including the quarter-final. Took 2 for 49 in the final and was there at the end. Months later he was diagnosed with a rare germ-cell cancer, and returned to play for India in 2012.
Zaheer Khan: 21 wickets
Level with Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi as the tournament’s top wicket-taker. Opened the final with three maidens, then returned to remove Chamara Kapugedera.
Sachin Tendulkar
Hundreds against England and South Africa, 85 in the semi-final. Out for 18 in the final, then carried around the Wankhede by his teammates.
Mahela Jayawardene: 103*
The only century of the final, and the first by a batter on the losing side of a World Cup final.
Tournament Leaders
From 1983 to 2011: India’s 28-Year Wait
| World Cup | India finished | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Champions | Beat West Indies at Lord’s by 43 runs |
| 1987 | Semi-final | Co-hosts; lost to England at the Wankhede |
| 1992 | Group stage | Tendulkar’s first World Cup |
| 1996 | Semi-final | Co-hosts; match awarded to Sri Lanka at Eden Gardens |
| 1999 | Super Six | Did not reach the semi-finals |
| 2003 | Runners-up | Lost the final to Australia by 125 runs |
| 2007 | Group stage | Lost to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka |
| 2011 | Champions | Beat Sri Lanka at the Wankhede by 6 wickets |
Between the two titles India reached one final, in 2003, and twice lost semi-finals at home. The 2007 first-round exit was the low point, and it led to a new captain for the shorter formats: Dhoni, who won the first T20 World Cup later that year. Four years after that, he was lifting the 50-over trophy at the ground where India lost the 1987 semi-final.
Why the 2011 Final Still Matters
- It ended the wait. A generation of fans had only 1983 on film; 2011 was theirs.
- It was at home. No host had won a World Cup final in its own country before.
- It closed Tendulkar’s World Cup story after six tournaments and 2,278 World Cup runs.
- It defined Dhoni as a finisher. The promotion, the partnership and the six became the template people still describe him by.
- It was a real contest. Jayawardene’s hundred made 274 a total no team had chased in a World Cup final before.
Myths vs Facts
“India won with five balls to spare against Australia”
It was 14 balls. India made 261 for 5 in 47.4 overs, not 260 for 4.
“Sangakkara won the toss cleanly”
There were two tosses. Sangakkara won both, but the first call was not heard by the match referee.
“Gambhir was caught going for his hundred”
He was bowled by Thisara Perera, trying to hit his way to three figures.
“India were unbeaten in 2011”
They lost to South Africa in Nagpur and tied with England in Bengaluru.
“The final was fixed”
Claims made in Sri Lanka in 2017 and 2020 were investigated by Sri Lankan police, who closed the inquiry for lack of evidence.
“Dhoni promoted himself on a hunch”
It was a match-up. Dhoni had faced Muralitharan for years in the CSK nets, and Muralitharan himself later said he expected Dhoni to come in early.
Did You Know?
- All five: in the semi-final, each of India’s five bowlers took exactly two Pakistan wickets.
- Two Asian finalists: 2011 was the first World Cup final between two Asian teams, and the first since 1992 without Australia.
- Umpires: Simon Taufel had never stood in a World Cup final before 2011, because his home country, Australia, had reached the previous four.
- Audience: about 135 million people in India watched the final on television, according to TAM figures reported at the time.
- Kohli’s line: he said Tendulkar had carried the nation for 21 years, so the team would carry him.
Test Yourself: 2011 Final Quiz
1. Who won the toss in the 2011 final?
2. How many runs did Sri Lanka make?
3. Who bowled the ball Dhoni hit for the winning six?
4. How many did Gambhir score?
5. Who was Player of the Tournament?
6. Which team beat India at the 2011 World Cup?
7. How many balls were left when India won?
8. Which World Cup was Tendulkar’s sixth?
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⚠️ Editorial Note
Match figures are from the official scorecard and ESPNcricinfo’s tournament records; the timeline of the chase uses the fall-of-wickets record. Corrections to widely shared accounts: India won the quarter-final against Australia with 14 balls to spare, reaching 261 for 5, not 260 for 4 with five balls left; the name is Jayawardene; and Gambhir was bowled, not caught. Over-by-over claims we could not verify against the scorecard, such as how many Dhoni scored from his last few balls or exactly when the match ended, have been left out. Dhoni’s reasons for batting at No. 5 are as he described them afterwards.
Sources & further reading
Every dated entry above was checked against these references. Last reviewed 30 September 2026.
- ESPNcricinfo: India v Sri Lanka, World Cup final, Mumbai, 2 April 2011 - full scorecard
- BBC Sport: India power past Sri Lanka to Cricket World Cup triumph (2 April 2011)
- The Guardian: India beat Sri Lanka to win the Cricket World Cup (2 April 2011)
- BBC Sport: India beat Pakistan to reach the World Cup final (30 March 2011)
- India TV: Dhoni came ahead of Yuvraj in the 2011 final because of me, says Muralitharan
- India TV: MCA marks the two Wankhede seats where Dhoni's winning six landed (20 October 2023)
- Wikipedia: 2011 Cricket World Cup final