Muttiah Muralitharan reveals REAL reason why MS Dhoni promoted himself ahead of Yuvraj Singh during the 2011 ODI World Cup Final
Muralitharan opined that the reason why Dhoni walked up to bat before Yuvraj was the latter's struggles while facing him.
MS Dhoni, Muttiah Muralitharan, Yuvraj Singh (Images via Getty Images, ESPNCricinfo)
The schedule for the upcoming 2023 ICC ODI World Cup was announced on Tuesday (June 27) and it was announced from the St Regis Hotel in Mumbai. Sri Lanka legend Mutthia Muralitharan was present at the event and he recalled the final where then India captain MS Dhoni promoted himself ahead of Yuvraj Singh who was enjoying a great form at the 2011 World Cup.
Muralitharan opined that the reason why Dhoni walked up to bat before Yuvraj was the latter’s struggles while facing him. On the other hand, Dhoni had played against Muralitharan in the nets during the Indian Premier League (IPL) season owing to which the 41-year-was comfortable playing the Sri Lankan.
“I knew because Yuvraj (Singh) was not very comfortable playing me, although he was the best player in the World Cup at that time, middle-order number four position. I knew because I was bowling a lot against him (Dhoni) in the nets in Chennai while playing in the IPL,” Muralitharan said during the event.
“So Dhoni knew how to play me very well. So I thought he didn’t want to give any wickets to me because I was wicketless despite bowling well,” Muralitharan said during the event,” he added.
Related: 2023 ODI World Cup venues: Wankhede Stadium and Eden Gardens to host semifinals
India vs Sri Lanka final match recap
Sri Lanka posted 274/6 thanks to Mahela Jayawardene‘s unbeaten 103 runs and contributions from Tillakaratne Dilshan (33), and Nuwan Kulasekara (32). India had a poor start as they lost both the openers Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar off Lasith Malinga.
Gautam Gambhir played a heroic knock (97 off 122), while Virat Kohli scored 35 off 49. Later MS Dhoni (91) and Yuvraj Singh (21) drove India past the target, helping India win the match by six wickets.
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Gouri Das
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