Favourite Moments

In every part of our life, we have made choices. We have our own, personal, favourites. In the Cricket World Cup that India won last year, we had a lot to choose from as our favourite moment. Here are some of the most memorable moments from that victorious tournament, as seen from the very own eyes of the fans...

(The contributors are living in India, unless mentioned otherwise)

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My favourite moment has got to be India beating Pakistan in the semi-finals. It might sound obvious, but then, it does not get any better than India vs Pakistan in a world cup semi, does it?
Prithvi, USA

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Yuvraj Singh’s match winning boundary against Australia.
It meant a lot to him after a very hard last 12 months, and was a massive boost for the fans who were worried about our chances of winning the world cup after the tie against England and defeat to South Africa. The Quarter Final was as good as a final, once we had knocked out the World Champs there was no stopping us from being the new World Champion!
Saurabh, UAE

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My favourite moments were two - when Sachin was lifted by fellow youngsters and when Harbhajan cried. When Sachin was lifted, I felt so proud to be from the same country as him. It gave the feeling of satisfaction. I could feel how the team felt- that the world cup was dedicated to Sachin. When Harbhajan cried, it was emotionally overwhelming. I was in  tears too. 
V. Kartick

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Yuvraj and Raina winning it at the Motera.
The never-say-die, come-from-behind victory was reminiscent of Bevan, Symonds and Hussey efforts of yore. When we beat Australia, I knew we were winning the World Cup. Both, for the opponent we had beaten, and the manner in which we had won.
Rohit, USA

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Ganesh Chaturti is when we celebrate by carrying our God on the shoulders and dance merrily before sending him off into the ocean. This very day last year, they carried the country's own God on shoulders in merriment and drowned him in an ocean of tears of joy. A fitting tribute,that was the best moment of the WC for me.
-Shyam

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Well, being far away in a country where cricket knowledge is bare, it indeed felt special when the Norwegian channel was telecasting the Semi Final and Final match live. I watched the Semi Final in the basement as the sole Indian amongst a lot of Pakistani supporters. But they were warm and congratulated our victory.
-Agneta Ghose, Norway

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The greatest moment and sight was undoubtedly Dhoni's final six and his cool demeanour in taking the stumps as a souvenir after he had initially forgotten.
-K. Shrinivasan

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Raina Hitting Lee for a Six
‘No Fear Cricket.’ I am sure that the senior players or the yesteryear players would have taken a much more conservative (Risk Free) approach, but not these New-Gen Cricketers. For me, this shot changed India into a team that wants to crush its opponents and gave them a shot in the arm. The energy in the field after Raina's inclusion was very much evident.
-Sabharish, USA

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India vs Australia, Quarter Finals. (Maybe it’s biased because I was there at the match that day but I feel this was the match where we kind of won the World Cup, slaying one very old demon – Australia and also putting the beginning of the campaign behind us)
We had lost against the toughest opponent we came across and let a very mediocre team tie a match we should have never lost before beating some minnows and the current WI team to get to the knockouts. Then we were a completely different team at Ahmedabad – pulled off bowling to a plan, put everything into our fielding and then the batsmen showed everything - grit, flair and severity of desire. Beat Australia and restored belief in their selves, in me and in a billion other fans. Something in the team changed that day, you could see it.
-Monish Moorthy

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· I tried to name one moment in the India England game and failed. The entire game was incredible.
·  Zaheer's absolute gem of a slower delivery to Mike Hussey.
·  The Yuvraj-Raina partnership that knocked out the reigning champs from Oz and really gave all us fans the confidence that we could actually win it. Especially that square drive from Yuvraj off Brett Lee.
·   Zaheer's opening over in the final - a maiden. Far cry from the famous 1st over in 2003.
·  THAT six from Mahendra Singh Dhoni (#WellOfCourse)
-Thejas Balaraman

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Might sound clichéd, but for me (too) it has to be Dhoni's swash buckling hit to clinch d trophy for us. Being a diehard Sachin fan, I wanted him 2 score his 100th ton and hit the winning shot. I have always been slightly envious of Dhoni and have found it hard to accept that he has eaten into the fan base and market share of Sachin. So, I have never conceded to claims that he's Mr. Cool & "probably" the best captain that India has ever had. But THAT 6,that sort of defined what Dhoni is all about. Calmness personified. Poise, Grace, Level Headedness, Captain Marvellous!!
-Sahil T George

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Sehwag's smashing start, Sachin's responsible batting, Yuvraj Singh's Dream Run, Munaf Patel's consistent bowling performance, the tied match against England, India's quarter final victory over Australia, then semi final victory over Pakistan in Mohali (one of my all-time favourite match), and then the final vs Srilanka. I bunked my afternoon class to watch the match. Gambhir's calm knock was the foundation to the successful run chase, Dhoni's Massive Six to give us a historical world cup victory. Yuvraj crying on the shoulders of Sachin - one of the most emotional moments. I too eventually had tears in my eyes, tears of joy!
-Adithya Shetty

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The longing, jagged Dhoni gaze as the ball sailed over long-on: I can live those 28 years all over again without any regrets.
-Aashish Chandorkar

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For me, favourite moment was the partnership between Yuvraj & Raina in the Quarter Finals vs Australia. With match tilted in Australia's favour after Dhoni's wicket, both batsman counter-attacked & didn't show any sign of pressure. This partnership was symbolic of bold yet level headed attitude the team had developed under their charismatic leader.
-Jayraj Edake

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My favourite moment was the one where the players lifted Sachin on their shoulders, thus making good on their promise that the world cup was for him. For a brief moment I felt an incomparable high.
-Satyaki Dey

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Apart from that Dhoni's 6 to seal the Cup, the victory over Pakistan, thanks to Misbah, was the one victory which made me go berserk for a while actually. It was an amazing day in my life as a cricket fan. It was the World Cup Semi Final, no less, and when India made a not so grand total on a flat wicket, I was somewhat sceptical. But, as wickets continued to fall and the required run rate went northwards, victory was ours and it will always be a fond memory always, may be our history may be it paved the way for World Cup victory.
-Pritam Kumar Sinha

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Raina's innings against Australia was my favourite innings from an Indian during the world cup. It was his first innings in the world cup and he came as the last recognized batsman after Dhoni fell. Yuvraj was playing a tentative innings at that time. It was an innings under immense pressure for an youngster. His straight six off Brett lee was the moment for me. I didn't get up for 20 overs from my seat. That was the moment I got up and shouted ‘YESS’. The game was over once he hit that. it feels fantastic when the reigning champions, who blew your team away in 2003 World Cup Finals, are eliminated by your team.
-Kaundinya

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Dhoni's Six and twirl of the bat was undoubtedly my favourite moment. And, the way they celebrated after the win was simply amazing, never seen so much passion from Indian cricketers ever. As a Team India fan it was very tough for me to control my emotions that time, for the first time ever tears were dropping from my eyes after winning a match. Only that day I realized what they mean by Tears of Happiness :-)
-Abhay Gupta

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The Twirl. The Gaze. Sealed with a Six. Something that will remain with a generation. However clichéd it might sound but Dhoni gave us something that washed away the memories of 2003 and brought in 2011 like a wave.
-Miraj Vora

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My favourite moment in the World Cup victory was the final shot from Dhoni for a six and his dramatic follow through. It was really a defining moment in India's pursuit and eventual success in the World Cup. That shot will always give us a cherished memory for many years.
-Sayee Ram, USA

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Well, it was not the Finals but the match between India and Australia, the Quarter Finals. It was held on a week day & I had to go to college that day due to unavoidable reasons. While coming back via train I switched on the radio on my phone and was listening to the commentary on it. The end overs were on at that moment and I was delighted to hear that our fielders were putting their bodies on the field to save runs. Then I rushed back home and watched the Indian innings. And I must say the shots played on that day were nothing short of extraordinary. The elegant cover drives, the square cut & what not! But the moment arrived when Yuvraj guided us to a big and important victory. That bat slamming celebration has to be my favourite moment of the World Cup.
-Mani Vishwanathan

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I have two favourite moments. One was the ravishing performance by Yuvraj against Aussies in the Quarters. The second one obviously has to be the final six by Dhoni. Well, people would ask me why these two? This is because these two moments clearly indicate the positive culture shift with regard to Indian cricket. I remember the trembling Indian team of the earlier times. Dhoni and Yuvraj stamped their authority and showed us that Indian cricket team was in a league of its own. It was a royal performance indeed.
-Vijay Krishna

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There are two moments jostling for that spot..one is of course, the famous Dhoni six in the final which sent millions into raptures... But, for me, there was one moment a few days earlier, which made me believe that the World Cup was finally coming home - a defiant Yuvraj Singh crashing a cover drive to score the winning runs against the defending champions in the Quarter Finals. When he sank to the ground and let out a primeval roar, it wiped away memories of the 2003 World Cup final, and made an entire nation believe in destiny. 
-Benny, USA

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My favourite World Cup moment is actually a player who stood up at the biggest stage before the start of which there were questions on his END. He did not only stand up but also ended up being the Man of the Series. Yes Yuvraj Singh. They say “He came ,He saw, He conquered.” But Yuvi bowled, fielded, batted & as we know he also battled (& is still battling) a disease during the entire World Cup! He’s the man!
-Anurag Rekhi

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 There were many memorable moments, but the most memorable one was obviously the last ball of the World Cup on which Dhoni hit a huge six!!! What a way to win the tournament...!!! Etched in our memory.
-Chetan Matwankar

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My favourite passage of that World Cup was what I consider to be the point of inflexion for India in the business end of the Cup - the outstanding partnership between Yuvraj & Raina during the chase vs Australia in Ahmedabad to secure a relatively comfortable win from a potentially precarious position. Coming successfully out of that situation to dethrone the three time defending champ, meant things fell into place after that until Dhoni sealed the cup with that six.
-Murali Krishna, UK

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For me it came during the one game India lost in the world cup against South Africa in Nagpur. To call it a moment is a stretch, it was more about how the team fought after a pretty hopeless collapse while batting.   Watching the team take the match into the final over, and fight all the way that day made me go ”This team has something about them.”
-Dilip, UK

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If in future I were to go back in time to when India had won the World Cup, I would remember it just as well as I do now. The best part of the World Cup has to be Dhoni’s finishing shot.
-Amritha Venketakrishnan

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Apart from our World Cup Victory, one thing I’ll cherish my whole life is that I witnessed one of the World Cup games live – India vs South Africa in Nagpur on 12^th March 2011. I can’t forget the crowd chanting “Sachinnnnnnnnnnnnn Sachin *clap clap clap* Sachinnnnnnnnn Sachin *clap clap clap*”! Also, he scored a ton in that match. Unfortunate that we lost that match, though L
-Sai

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Yuvraj Singh’s innings against Australia in Quarter Finals. When Dhoni got out, it was left to Yuvraj and Raina, the last recognized pair in the team. Yuvraj was also involved in a misunderstanding with Gambhir a few moments back which resulted in Gambhir’s run out. Raina was playing his second match in the tournament. 74 runs were needed off 12 overs. But against all odds, Yuvraj Singh turned on the style. Yuvraj hit Brett Lee and Shaun Tait all around the park in moments where most of them would have crumbled under pressure  and along with Suresh Raina, he set up a comfortable win in the End. By the time Yuvraj exulted and roared, India won with 15 balls to spare.
-Vipul Yadav

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My favourite moment of India's World Cup Campaign has to be Gary Kirsten being carried on the shoulders by the Indian team for a victory lap. Virat Kohli running alongside, urging the spectators to show some love to Gary. It was great to watch the people working behind the scenes get the respect they deserve, Especially Gary.
-Praful Patne

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I felt deeply moved when I saw Sachin and Yuvraj crying and hugging each other. These were striking moments and I released what the joy it would be to win something as a team. I felt that more than a individual win and its the team efforts wins that bring more joy. Also, it felt great to see Sachin so happy and I felt all the more happy when I remembered the grim face of Sachin when he had received Man of Tournament in the 2003 World Cup.
- Thomson Nelson

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The match against Australia. It was a close one. Me, my BOSS and one more friend planned to watch with Ganguly (Joking). We decided to watch at home. To my big surprise my Boss was supporting India(I couldn’t believe he bought an Indian Cricket team jersey as well). We enjoyed a lot. There were abuses, emotions, debates, altercation. Truly my favourite moment when we won (Yuvi was roaring).
-Vignesh M

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This might be done to death, but my favourite moment of the entire world cup campaign was Dhoni going for the stumps, rather than trying to hug Yuvraj.
-Devang Sheth

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My favourite moment was when Yuvi was sure of the wicket and Dhoni was sceptic and didn't want to DRS it. Yuvi forced him to review it and after a long delay, the batsman (Thilan Samaraweera) was given out. That was special because a belief of that one man was so high and so important was that wicket. It shows that if you are confident, nothing can stop you!
-Foram Gosrani

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On that historic night of 2^nd April, 2011, the heat inside the Wankhede stadium was leaving millions and millions of fans gasping for breath but that in no ways was going to dent their enthusiasm and excitement. With just 4 required of 11 balls and captain MS Dhoni on strike, emotions were reaching a crescendo as Kulasekara came running in to bowl the second delivery of the penultimate over. And finally the moment of joy arrived- ‘’A Thunderous wallop and Dhoni sent the ball flying over long-on.’’ Indians were World Champions, this time after an arduous wait of 28 years. An ultimate expression of brute force by the batsman taking the bowler apart, a six is arguably a spectator’s most favourite shot in the book.  An Indian cricket fan may have stood witness to several sixes in their lifetimes, but the one six that has become an integral part of Indian cricket folklore is that by MS Dhoni in the 2011 World Cup Final when the Indian captain coolly sent a full length delivery of Sri Lanka’s Kulasekera into the stands, thus hitting the winning runs and clinching the World Cup as a vibrant Yuvraj Singh celebrated at the other end. The monstrous shot from Captain Cool not only sealed the World Cup and sent fans into a collective frenzy, but it also escalated Indian cricket to a new level.
-Avi

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My favourite moment wasn't so much a moment but a whole day of 24 hours. My friend and I left Delhi at 5 AM to get to Mohali in time for the game. Every dhaba you came across had people wearing blue, presumably on their way to the stadium just like us. The stadium, it goes without saying, was a sea of blue but the small Pakistani contingent happened to be in our stand. There was a lot of banter, with locals responding to "Jeetega bhai jeetega, Pakistan jeetega" with "Andar ki baat hai, Pakistan bhi saath hai". I don't think Mohali would have ever seen the kind of celebration that happened that night. We couldn't even find a place to eat and finally left for Delhi at 2 in the morning. I was shit-faced at work the next day, but it was totally worth it!
-Mahek Vyas

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The best memory for me is, well of course, Dhoni's last 6. That helicopter shot. I can even forget how to code, but not that match winning 6 from Dhoni which brought tears in millions of Indian fans all over the world.
Also, During world cup, ICC’s Facebook asked the fans to write some messages for their teams. I wrote one, and it was put in Team India's dressing room! I was proud and happy to see a photo of that in the World Cup winner’s dressing room!
-Uma Maheshwari

Uma Maheshwari's message to the Indian Cricket team displayed on the walls of the team's dressing room. The message reads (top row, 2nd from left)-
"Come on India. This is your country. This is your people. This is your home ground. This is your world cup"

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I guess there could not be a greater feeling than winning the World Cup itself, but, If to pick one moment, I would say the Quarter Finals against Australia was my favourite moment because of how the defending Champions were defeated, and despite being a tricky situation, in the end the Indian team held their nerve and won.
- Abhishek Bhardwaj

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My favourite moment was the entire Quarter Final encounter at Ahmedabad between India and Australia. That match was worthy of a final. I was never tensed throughout the whole tournament but on the morning of the Australia match, I was dead nervous, had acidity bouts, and was unable to concentrate on work.
After a mini-collapse, when Raina came out, India needed 74 off 75 balls. Yuvraj who was having a dream tournament, took charge and along with Raina finished the game for India in the next 10 overs. The latter playing the most important 34 runs of his life - Yuvraj only inching closer to that Man of the Series award which he eventually won.
Mumbai may have got the final but Ahmedabad got the best match played in that World Cup.
-Minal, UAE

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The grand Finale!! That shot that sealed the World Cup. Surely!
-Mridul Mittal

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The World Cup finals’ winning moments will be the favourite. Also, the amazing winning partnerships by our boys throughout the tournament!
-Karthik Shetty

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My favourite moment was in the World Cup final, when the entire stadium was singing our National Anthem. Goosebumps!
-Harshad Bhoir

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My favourite memory from last year's World Cup was that of the Gambhir-Dhoni partnership in the finals due to which India won. Also, I will not to forget Yuvraj's all round performance in World Cup, which helped us in a lot of ways to win the World Cup.
-Ayush Agarwala

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My favourite match was the India vs Australia match. The expression of Yuvi after the winning four was one to savour for ages. But there was one shot better than that, and that was served by M.S. Dhoni to seal the finals!
-Subodh Rathi

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My favourite memory lingering from the World Cup is the one where Yuvraj hits the winning boundary against the Australians in the Quarter Finals.
-Viraj Singhal

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My favourite memory was the World Cup finals’ partnership between Dhoni & Gambhir, the uproar after the win and the whistles that went around my house for every run, every boundary. I can still hear them in my head!
-Kunjal Shah Dhodhia

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My favourite moment was the one when Team India lost vs SA. Many losers were cribbing about team and calling for Dhoni to quit captaincy. But I knew that it was important to play your best when it mattered in knockout & Dhoni answered it on the final with his innings & the six.
-Prabhu Dhamodharan

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My best moment is the win from the India vs Australia Quarter Finals. it was special in more than one way-
One was India being was on top of Australia throughout the entire match. Even when India’s batting faltered a bit, Everyone stepped in. Especially when I thought we were doomed, the innings by Yuvraj and Raina were memorable. The second best thing about this was all this happened during my mid- term exam where the professor was an Australian. We all saw the live streaming of the match while writing the exam! Since there were so many Indians in my class, literally everyone were concentrating on the match, we even shouted at the end of the match! (while still writing the exam)
At the end of the exam the Professor said, “I have never seen a class which is so happy after an exam.”
I replied, “We have never seen a Professor who is so sad after an exam.”
-J. Shriram, USA

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My favourite moment would be Suresh Raina hitting Brett Lee for a six over long on as we neared the end of the Chase at Motera. It was also the moment, which got me to believe that we could win it.
Another worthy mention (except the finals) was being at the Chinnaswamy to watch the India-England match. The national anthem and then the moment when SRT reached his 100 are absolutely spine-tingling, unforgettable moments.
-Abhishek

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The entire tournament seemed like a semi-colon at one point.
Uncertainity and fool-hardy optimist expectation.
Gambhir and Yuvraj and Raina and Kohli's plunder.
Sehwag's demolition.
Zaheer's dependency.
Tied nail-biters.
How Ashwin made a talented utility.
How Tendulkar carried us.
Just to watch the white ball disappear into the crowd.
And that bat twirl.
And a 28 year thirst quenched.
-Siddharth Mahesh

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We watched Dhoni end it all, end the World Cup, with a sixer. That moment we knew, that we had just been a part of history. We had just witnessed India win the World Cup in 2011, after 28 years.
-Lifetimefe

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World Cup moment was when India trumped a hapless Bangladeshi attack in the very first game of the tournament. Virender Sehwag and Virat Kohli wreaking havoc and plundering the clueless attack of the hosts not only provided a much needed momentum to the Indian team and a platform from which to climb up to greater heights, it also exacted in no small a measure, a revenge for having been knocked out of the previous World Cup edition by Bangladesh!
-Venky

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The favourite moments were from the finals.
For a grad student, things can get very hectic at times, but there is nothing more important than watching World Cup Final when Indian cricket team is playing. I had to watch this match. An Indian can’t miss this for ANYTHING.
The Indian association at U-Penn had organized a live screening of the match, but initially I didn’t want to go and watch with everyone, well everyone has their superstitions.
I didn’t want to watch the match when India was 31-2 and Tendulkar got out! I kept “checking” every 5 mins. Okay when India crossed the 100 runs mark, a sudden inner voice told me “Hey! What are you doing alone in your room? This isn’t a match to be watched alone!”  So I went out to watch the live screening by Penn Rangoli. I am glad I went. From that moment to the final deposition of the white ball into the crowd, and beyond, the game was special in every sense! We cheered for every run and shouted “Jeetega bhai jeethega, India jeetega” for every FOUR”. I am sure entire Pennsylvania heard us!
A single favourite moment was the smile on Sachin’s face, he looked so cute, like happy school kid, yes Indian team had done it, and they did it for India and for Sachin!
"He (Sachin) has carried the burden of the nation for 21 years. It is time we carried him on our shoulders” – Virat Kholi
-Jnana P Panuganti, USA

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Coming from a family where everyone was a cricket enthusiast, it’s tough to let go of the urge to watch a World Cup match with India in the Semi Finals. To not watch any other matches played by India was a conscious decision, knowing the track record of the not-so-bad Indian team, just to relieve myself of the stress during the match as well as after, if we had lost. Watching the Semi Finals at the University, booking a hall, streaming the match online and watching with friends was, literally, just so much fun. Added to it was winning the match against Pakistan. But the best would be when Sachin got out early in the finals and subsequent comeback by the Team India. What more favourite than the World Cup victory itself?
-Vidya Raju, Switzerland

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The moment, that six, taht six which lifted us the trophy, lifted our hopes and our asses which were stuck to the carpet, literally. That opened the bottle of celebrations long awaited!
-Siddharth Krishna Kumar, USA

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It is hard to pick a single favourite moment from an event that was a dream to a billion. Right from the Sehwag back foot punch on the first delivery of the tournament till the Dhoni whack over long on to lift the trophy; every piece of action is still fresh in the memory. But my best moment would be Yuvraj’s celebration on the pitch after beating Australia. It gave me assurance, belief and confidence that the 28-year long wait shall end in Mumbai on the 2^nd of April. And boy, it did!!!
-Priyank Shah

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April the 2^nd 2011. This day will forever be etched in my memory. I watched it with my friends in the society lawn. My favourite moment from the campaign is the way it ended. That Dhoni six. The twirl of the bat. Eyes on the ball till it landed into the crowd. Yuvraj pouncing onto him, Sachin coming onto the field to be hugged by a very emotional Yuvraj. Virat saying those words about the great man.  We were World Champions.
-Sabarish

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My favourite moment of the tournament was Yuvraj Singh's celebration after beating Australia in the Quarter Final.
-Thasvir Bridglall, South Africa

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My favourite world cup moment must be watching Sachin Tendulkar run after the ball like a teenager and saving one run in the final to a late cut by, I think, Jayawardane. It showed how much the great man wanted to win the World Cup. It will be a picture that will be etched in my memory forever.
-Sriram Ragav, Netherlands

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The semi-finals game against Pakistan was the best match I had seen. It was exhaustive. It made me lose interest in the finals for a while!
-Vigneswaran Karunanithi, Netherlands

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To pick one great moment form the World Cup is difficult, because you can’t take out one precious diamond from a crown of numerous precious diamonds. But the Golden moment of the World Cup was when Dhoni fired the bullet to the air which drop beyond the dope, and the dream became reality and the name INDIA got engraved on that precious Memento for which The God of Indian Cricket was striving from last 22 years.
-Makrand Pardeshi

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At one point in the final we needed around a run a ball and we smashed this one over from Kulasekara, and I remember at the end of that over thinking for the first time  'Wow, we are actually going to be World Champions', that is one of the happiest moments of my life.
-Ayush

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Yuvraj Singh’s celebration after he won India the quarter-final match against the Australians was my favourite moment of the historic tournament. Sitting in the North Stand of the Motera Stadium, the sentiment among the crowd had been to destroy Ponting’s team. One of the banners a couple of rows behind me read: “Revenge. 23^rdMarch 2003.” Even though this revenge took a while to come, it will be my most cherished moment. I even watched the Semi-Final against Pakistan live in Mohali, but it was no comparison with Australia. The emotions displayed by Yuvraj showed how much it meant to him and the team. It definitely meant that much (if not more) for the millions of passionate Indian fans.
-Mayank Jhaveri
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During the world cup I was in Bellary, and had a shift, in a power plant, that lasted well into the night. But, I bunked that, and went off to watch the game on both the Semi Finals and the Finals days. One of the best moments were rom the experience of watching the Semi Finals, the whole of it was special. There were 15 of us, watching the game in one room. We tried to predict every single ball of both innings of the game. If the cable relay on the television got snapped, the cable-wala and the hostel warden would be summoned, and be given some really harsh words, until the relay was back. Even they didn’t mind the rough talk that day! We had food in the same room, and didn’t leave it at all, doing our best to recreate the stadium atmosphere inside the room itself. And once India won the game, it was non-stop dancing and showing off our bike skills on the streets! That was one special win!
-Amreesh Singh Thakur

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The best moment was that six to seal off the tournament, dished by the captain, which kept the ‘Cup home. Along with the six came the joy & tears in every INDIAN’s eye, seeing their dream coming true and the team holding the WORLD CUP.
-Punya Jain

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For its emphatic, swashbuckling and heart-stopping finality, I may be tempted to pick "the twirl", Dhoni-san's samurai flourish on that fateful night in Mumbai that relegated Kulasekara to the musty bins of cricket history. My poetic (and ironic) sensibilities may even compel me to choose that poignant image of Alan Donald - the Kiwi bowling coach - sitting impassively at the boundary ropes, watching the South African team unravel in horrifying fashion (again) against his new wards. But I cannot but pick India's victory in the quarter-final against Australia - the day when belief entrenched itself so irrationally stolidly that it begat nervousness. Yes, Pakistan loomed at Mohali (hey, we'd been there, done that), but as the men in yellow receded in the rear-view mirror, centurion Punter in their midst, it now seemed inevitable. It was.
-Sriram, Canada

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The scores may be forgotten. Dhoni's iconic six may be erased from our memory. But, I think, when you talk of 2011 World Cup, the most unforgettable memory belongs to those rousing moments of unintended mirth provided by UDRS. That decision, in favour of Ian Bell, at Bangalore against India, laid out a big truth to the world: If a job is good enough to be bungled by two people, it is only logical that it is equally good enough to be further botched up by the addition of one more person. Cricket has borrowed this quintessential corporate philosophy, and improved its overall appeal with more controversies and confusions, without which it is impossible to get the media to cover any event these days.    
-K Balakumar

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My favourite moment from the World Cup was the Semi Final game between India and Pakistan. I was in U.A.E. then, and had a Pakistani colleague at office-Rizwan. Rizwan is from Karachi. A top chap whom I have a lot to thank for, if not anything else at least for being the only guy whom I didn’t have to waste time trying to explain what I had to say when it came to work. Breaking the ice was never a problem considering how passionate he was about cricket. After discussing the game for an hour on the eve of the Semi Final game, he invited me to watch the game at his place, an invite that I gladly accepted. Rizwan's family were being as much hospitable, warm hosts as what one has read about people from Pakistan in the moving takes in books and posts. After watching the first innings, where Rizwan kept his head on his neck despite the multiple catches dropped by Pakistan, even after his little daughter said to him, "Aapka Sachin out tha na daddy, phir kyun khel raha hai?", I went to my other friends' place to watch the second innings. 
India won the game. Rizwan came up to my workstation next morning and had this to say – “badhaai ho yaar…main bola thana ki India ka hi chances zyaada hai?.
All I managed in return was an understanding smile. I still owe Rizwan a lunch and lots of ghee shakkar.
Siva

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After getting in and out of a bet in 2003, and after scarring my son’s first exposure to cricket in 2007, in came 2011. And the enthusiasm levels were hitting the stratosphere. To the extent that I decided to put my money where my mouth is. And the entire family was off to India, to be part of what I thought would be an experience. And what an experience it was! We went to the games, and it couldn’t have been better than ending with the World Cup victory, my favourite moment from which, was Gary Kirsten being chaired by the players!
-Shrikant Subramanian, USA

Shrikant Subramanian, on his way to Chepauk.

The Wankhede Stadium is, as per Shrikant Subramanian, "Field Of Dreams".
On April 2nd, 2011, more than a billion dreams came true.

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When your favorite team wins the big ticket item after 28 years, fighting the odds of hosts never winning it, the mountain of expectations, there are bound to be moments that are too many to count, as favorites. But here are two that spring to mind.
The match against England at Bangalore: The strategy behind the Indian team’s success was predicated on a power hitting line up in conditions quite familiar to them with the bowlers, mostly, making up the numbers. When Andrew Strauss was making mine meat of the Indian bowling, out of nowhere, the bowlers led by Zaheer Khan brought India back into the game. Although the match ended in a tie, 75% of the match in, India had no business to be in that position but the much maligned bowling attack showed signs of life that when the stakes get higher, they would stand up to be counted.
The second favorite moment was in the lead up to the Quarter Final match against Australia. Yes, I was confident that India would win it but going up against a team, 4-time champion - three of them in a row, that has had your number in so many world cup campaigns, there are bound to be butterflies. So I called a lot of my cricket friends to discuss the match, and how things would pan out. It reminded me of the days when I was a kid, I would talk to my siblings on the eve of Diwali how we were going to get new clothes and burst firecrackers and how the new fancy items would work and all that. It was the build up to something momentous. The thought of the possibilities that made your hearts flutter. One couldn’t just wait for the occasion.
-Subash Jayaraman, USA

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My favourite moment of the World Cup was during India’s chase in the finals, when the entire stadium sang Vande Mataram in one voice, across religions, regions and genders. Coupled with the on-field tension of the final few overs, it was an amazing Goosebumps inducing moment. That, for me defined the spirit of this world cup as an Indian fan.
-Santosh Srinivasan

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If I had to point at one moment that stood out for me, it has to be the image of Yuvraj on his knees after knocking Australia out in the quarterfinals. A significant moment too.
-Nishath Podakkudiya

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I remember Sachin being carried during the victory lap. It was awesome! The win after 28 years, that itself was special!
-­Pavan Kumar Rao

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I was home during the final. I usually watch matches alone. But on that night my mother was with me to watch MSD hit the winning six, Team India do their lap of honour and Virat Kohli carry Tendulkar on his shoulders. It was a heart-warming experience to watch such emotional but happy scenes with your most favourite person in the world.  And happy scenes kept me awake and brisk for hours more than the noise of crackers bursting outside. But it was sleep I didn't mind losing. And next morning the celebrations had caught up everywhere. IIT's canteen greeted me with free kesari complimenting me for India's success and possibly the pride that it was their backyard that scripted India's destiny to win the cup. The work room in my department was put up with the front page big pictures of India winning the cup and it remained so for a week till the Head of Laboratory said it's time we pull those down.
-Raghavan

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For me, we had won before we actually won! The moment M. S. Dhoni promoted himself in the batting order I was certain India would win. The moment I saw Gautam Gambhir and Dhoni bat with assurance and command, I knew India would win. So for me, there was no release of tension; that had already happened a few hours earlier! Moreover, the win did not matter too much to me, although I did celebrate it briefly.  
Although this sounds horribly cliched, what mattered more to me was the journey the team undertook in getting there. In my books, India weren't favourites going in to the tournament. South Africa had the better balanced team. Australia had developed the winning experience. Pakistan was... Pakistan! The fact that India got there in the end talked to a well-knit unit that wanted to win. A well-knit unit that played with tremendous intent. Yes, intent! 
And what pleased me most was the manner in which Dhoni celebrated the win. And I am not talking merely about the winning six. I am not talking about the eyes that followed the ball to the boundary after the ferocious swing of the bat had connected with said ball. I am not talking of the now famous bat-twirl. Dhoni did celebrate. He grabbed a stump and hugged his batting partner. Perhaps he had a tear in his eye too. But after that he quietly walked away from the limelight, handing over the stage to his younger, more vocal team mates ... and to Sachin Tendulkar. To me, that act was the most poignant moment of the win. Perhaps to him, the win didn't matter as much as the trials the team had faced (and overcome) in getting to that podium. Perhaps to him, it was a time to reflect and introspect. Perhaps to him, this was a further reinforcement and reflection his own amazing journey. His job was done. He exited, stage left. That India won was, to me, because she played as a team and under a courageous leader.
-Mohan Krishnamoorthy

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That Six off Kulasekara ,that one final strike, that one final thud ,that one final stroke, that one final nail in the coffin, that one final bat meeting the ball, that one final jolt of joy India witnessed and That Is It we are the Champions!
-R. Sriram

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WC2011 was big event for all Indians not that it was going to be held in the Indian subcontinent or that India will have a home advantage factor but because as per many it was going to be Sachin's last WC. And it couldn't have been bigger than India itself hosting the tournament..Talking of memories well there were far too many. It might be harsh to choose some from them and the celebrations that followed. But everyone have his share of favourite memories, so do I. First, would be Sachin hitting back to back centuries against England and South Africa. With every shot he played and every run he scored like many others couldn’t control the excitement. Was cheering for him every ball. I remember it was my B. Com. exam days and instead of studying for paper next day I was busy watching him and the match with my dad scolding like anything.
Second, would be The innings played by Yuvraj and Raina. The way they batted and took India home was just the thing that was required. The way Yuvraj roared and Raina hugged him it was just fantastic. While seeing Yuvi roar, I just couldn't control myself and roared like him at top of my voice.
Third, when India was playing against Pakistan, Sachin scoring runs and Pakistani fielders dropping his catches. With every drop catch I wasn’t able to control my laughter and make mockery of them.
Fourth, was when India stormed into finals by beating Pakistan. By the fall of Misbah my whole bunch of friends and neighbours got too excited as it was THE Match of the tournament. I got over excited shouted and while punching my fist in the air threw my phone which was just saved from being broken
Last and the BIG one, India winning the trophy. Emotional moment.
Second, would be The innings played by Yuvraj and Raina. The way they batted and took India home was just the thing that was required. The way Yuvraj roared and Raina hugged him it was just fantastic. While seeing Yuvi roar, I just couldn't control myself and roared like him at top of my voice. Third, when India was playing against Pakistan, Sachin scoring runs and Pakistani fielders dropping his catches. With every drop catch I wasn’t able to control my laughter and make mockery of them. Fourth, was when India stormed into finals by beating Pakistan. By the fall of Misbah my whole bunch of friends and neighbours got too excited as it was THE Match of the tournament. I got over excited shouted and while punching my fist in the air threw my phone which was just saved from being broken Last and the BIG one, India winning the trophy. Emotional moment.

- Yogesh Khandelwal

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I had watched One Day International cricket all thru the 90's fearing that India could not chase targets. I dreaded the thought of watching the team chase even smallish scores because of how many choke jobs they pulled off. In spite of the odd big chase that culminated in a win in the late 90's and the emergence of Ganguly and Dravid, the long term trends did not comfort me at all. The first time this sense of foreboding and despair went away was in the summer of 2002 when Yuvraj Singh would play a pivotal rule in two memorable chases at Lord's. For the first time, the fan in me was willing to give the team a fighting chance when they chased targets.2011 was a culmination of this confidence more than anything else. Going in to the knockout stage of the World Cup I had no doubt as in zero doubt that India would win. Run chases versus Australia and Sri Lanka had the potential to be sticky and there were deflating dismissals in both of those games - Gambhir run out versus Australia and Sachin's caught behind in the final. My favorite moments in the World Cup were my complete lack of panic and utter sense of confidence that this would be alright. Winning the World cup was one thing. To win it in a way that dominant and ridiculously stress-free was something else. The calm of the chase ......That is what I remember best and most.

- Shyam, USA

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A long time has passed since the World Cup 2011 ended. There are many moments from India’s campaign that stick out vividly – Sehwag’s assault on Bangladesh to extract the revenge of 2007, Tendulkar’s two consecutive sixes off Swann, the fighting finish against South Africa despite a stunning batting collapse, Zaheer Khan’s beauty to get rid of Hussey, the Yuvraj-Raina partnership, the near-perfect bowling performance against Pakistan and ofcourse, the Dhoni six that ended it. There are many smaller moments too that have stayed with me. One such is my favourite. It was the 1st ball of the 10th over of the Sri Lankan innings in the Finals. Munaf Patel bowled one short-of-a- length outside the off-stump, and saw Dilshan cut it hard. That shot should have had four, but for Yuvraj Singh, at point, who flew across to his right (must have been a good 4-5 yards) and stopped it cleanly. This was the same man who had spent a lot of 2010 out of the team due to form and fitness issues, had been fielding at mid-on / mid-off as he was too slow for the point region, and had even been slightly doubtful of a place in the squad before the tournament. With that one effort, Yuvraj Singh threw me back by 10 years – a completely different era. Considering all that has happened in his life since then, that Yuvraj Singh diving effort would remain sealed in my mind for a long time to come.

- Shridhar Jaju

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 April 1,2011 was my most nervous night ever and my longest too. April 2 happens to be my birthday. For the first time the whole of India waited for my birthday to arrive-albeit for another reason. As my friends called and wished I was praying that April 2 must be a most memorable day as I didn't want it to be the day when India lost a home world cup final.

As the Sun set, Perera slammed zak for six off the last ball and hope dwindled a bit.  My worst fear came true when Viru got trapped second ball as he was one guy who could have calmed down the nerves. Then came that drive! The moment of the night for me was THAT Sachin straight drive which made me feel "All will be well tonight".  But Malinga soon rendered me as well as billion others speechless and I couldn't watch it anymore. I went upstairs to talk with my friends on phone.  As I came down Indians were fighting back but as Kohli got out once again came that sinking feeling in the stomach. Not this time please prayed my heart and in strode MSD. In 2 balls my heart missed a beat as sanga missed what I thought to be a stumping chance. Not many replays where shown for that ball though.

But after that as Dhoni cut and drove and Gambhir nudged and glided we knew there was going to be only one outcome.  As MSD unleashed his signature shot with 10 balls remaining tears rolled down my eyes and water got splashed on my face courtesy my cousin and roommate. The most abiding memory will be Sachin running onto the ground with his boyish smile and hugging his mates. 

It was the night when the greatest of them all got his wish fulfilled and we rejoiced with him.

- Hari Sankar

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Two years back, on this date, I was at a sports’ club in Bangalore, watching the CWC 2011 final match between India and Sri Lanka on a big screen in an open air theatre. Though it was slightly drizzling before the match began, the crowd didn’t disperse. Even if it had rained heavily, we all were ready to watch every single over of the match. The crowd was very energetic and we kept on cheering in such a way that, it felt like we all belong to one big family called- India.

Sandhya Suresh at the sports club, watching the finals.

I thoroughly enjoyed that day and these are my favourite moments of the match:1. The Re-tossRe-toss is something very unusual but it happened in the final match. When we were watching the match, we didn’t know the exact reason for the re-toss. Later, I learnt that, when Sangakkara called for the toss, it was heads. Dhoni heard it as tails but the match referee and Ravi Shastri didn’t hear anything. So, they called for a re-toss. It is amazing how Dhoni was mentally and physically prepared for anything. The re-toss could have led to a huge controversy but Dhoni didn’t make it a big issue. He was so calm and composed. He didn’t look disturbed by the re-toss.2. SachinI’m not a huge fan of Sachin. But, I liked the way the Indian players carried Sachin on their shoulders. Every player mentioned at least once that, they won the world cup for Sachin. He started his career as a ball boy in Wankhede Stadium but after years, he and his team won the world cup in the same stadium. This success is properly fitting for Sachin and he deserves it more than anybody else.3. Disappearance of the Humble CaptainAfter India won the world cup, I was waiting to see Dhoni’s reaction. I’m a crazy fan of his. But,he disappeared and he was not to be seen for a very long time after the match. I wonder how many players can do that. I still wonder what could have been more important for him than standing in the field after winning the world cup for India.

- Sandhya Suresh

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What was your favourite moment from the 2011 Cricket World Cup? Let us all know by writing it down in the space below! Thank you!