Fans reminisce Gautam Gambhir's valiant 97 as India celebrates 10 years of World Cup win

Marking 10 years of India's glorious World Cup campaign in 2011 on Friday, elated fans turned the clock back in time to the night of April 2, when the then-skipper MS Dhoni smashed Nuwan Kulasekara for might six over long-on, etching the moment in history. Reminiscing over India's second World Cup victory after a long wait of 28 years, Twitter on Friday morning was stormed by moments from the April 2 night when Dhoni & Co. clinched the silverware, making it one of the top trends in India. While the victorious campaign was led by Yuvraj Singh's all-round heroics and the expectations of Sachin Tendulkar's last World Cup, the night India won the World Cup in 2011 had names of Gautam Gambhir and MS Dhoni echoing at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. 

Gambhir's soiled shirt and MS Dhoni's last six which clinched the game have been imprinted in history as a resemblance to the night when India won the World Cup. Having lost veterans Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag cheaply in the chase, Gautam Gambhir added music to the Wankhede Stadium when there was pin-drop silence as India stood against a giant total of Sri Lanka's 276. 

Stitching a significant partnership with a young Virat Kohli first and skipper MS Dhoni next, Gambhir kept the scoreboard ticking to ensure India weren't far behind in the chase. His brave knock of 97 comprised of 9 boundaries in all before his dismissal. While MS Dhoni bagged the man of the match for his fiery 91 not out, Gambhir's precious innings is still remembered by fans across the globe. 

On Friday, as fans celebrated 10 years of India's glory, they also reminisced over Gambhir's - 'The Unsung Hero' - innings that propelled India to victory. Here's how netizens reacted: 

'India needs to win the next World Cup'

Looking back at India's glory in ICC World Cup 2011, former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir remarked that it is now time to 'move forward' and add more trophies to the cabinet. The former Indian batsman, who was also India's hero in the final against Sri Lanka, has expressed the need for Team India to win the next World Cup 'ASAP' (as soon as possible). Since the victory in 2011, India has failed to clinch any ICC title, despite having reached the knockout stages in the 2015 and 2019 campaigns. 

In an interview with news agency PTI, Gautam Gambhir said, "It doesn't feel like yesterday. Not for me at least. It's been what, 10 years now? I am not a person who looks back too much. Obviously, it's a proud moment but you know what, it's time for Indian cricket to move forward. Probably, now it's time that we win the next World Cup ASAP." 

The cricketer-turned-parliamentarian also expressed that people should not go overboard about past World Cup wins because the players who competed were meant give it their best shot and they did so as their professional duty. "In 2011, we didn't do anything that we weren't meant to do. When we were picked to play the World Cup, we were supposed to win the World Cup. When we were selected, we didn't just go out there to compete, we went out there to win," said Gambhir.