It's Controversial/ 'MS Dhoni got the award but I feel ___ was real Man of the match': Gautam Gambhir stirs controversy

Gautam Gambhir has made a significant comment regarding the 2011 Cricket World Cup final between India and Sri Lanka, which the Men in Blue won with Gambhir and MS Dhoni playing crucial roles in the batting department. Despite Dhoni being awarded the Player of the Match for his unbeaten 91 runs off 79 balls, Gambhir expressed the opinion that the true Man of the Match was not either of them. Gambhir believes that the former India pacer should have won the Player of the Match award and not Dhoni.  

3 things you need to know

• India and Sri Lanka played in the final of the 2011 World Cup at Wankhede in Mumbai
• Batting first, Sri Lanka posted 274/6 in 50 overs with Jayawardene hitting a ton
• India chased down the target with 10 balls to spare. Dhoni hit the winning runs

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Gambhir: Zaheer Khan was the real Man of the Match

According to Gambhir, Zaheer bowled an outstanding opening spell with the ball that prevented Sri Lanka from posting a big total in the final. In Gambhir's view, had Zaheer not delivered that impressive performance, Sri Lanka might have scored around 350 or more runs. He noted that while people often discuss his remarkable innings and Dhoni's iconic six, Zaheer's contributions with the ball tend to be overlooked. Zaheer took two wickets while conceding 60 runs in his quota of 10 overs during the World Cup final match.

“MS Dhoni got the award but I feel Zaheer Khan was the real Man of the Match. Sri Lanka would have scored around 350 runs had Zaheer not bowled that spell. Nobody recalls his bowling and we only talk about my innings and Dhoni’s six. Zaheer was man of the final,” Gambhir said.

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MS Dhoni seals India's 28-year-long wait with an ‘iconic’ six

Dhoni was named the Player of the Match in the 2011 World Cup final after he came in the middle overs and forged partnerships to help finish the 275-run chase. Gambhir, on the other hand, scored 97 off 122 balls to lay down a good foundation at the top of the order. Dhoni was eventually named the Man of the Match for finishing the game with a score of 91*. He hit a massive six to secure the World Cup trophy for India.