Gautam Gambhir reveals why the Playing XI of 2011 WC Final never played for India again

Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir, who was one of the architects of Team India's 2011 World Cup triumph has revealed why the players who had featured in that summit clash against Sri Lanka never played together for the national team ever again. 

It was on this very day exactly a decade ago that a determined India led by the charismatic Mahendra Singh Dhoni created history by winning the tenth edition of the quadrennial event.

'Probably the worst thing': Gautam Gambhir

"I know that's probably the worst thing. Bhajji once told me that. Probably the better person to ask the question is the erstwhile coach (Duncan Fletcher who took over immediately after Gary Kirsten's departure at the end of the World Cup), the captain (MS Dhoni), and the selectors (K Srikkanth and Co," Gambhir told news agency PTI.

"I don't think this has happened in international ODI cricket history that a team that won a World Cup never played a single match together again," he further added.

Here's a look at Team India's Playing XI who had participated in that memorable tournament decider at the Wankhede Stadium:

Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh,Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel, and S Sreesanth 

Team India rewrite history by lifting the 2011 World Cup

Sri Lanka who were playing in their second straight World Cup final had posted a stiff total of 274/6 in their 50 overs. In reply, India got off to a horrendous start after big-hitter Virender Sehwag was dismissed for a second-ball duck by Lasith Malinga. The Men In Blue were in a spot of bother after Sachin Tendulkar's dismissal as the scorecard read 31/2. Gambhir then took the charge of scoring runs and was ably supported by a young Virat Kohli (35) as the duo added 83 runs for the third wicket stand.

After Kohli's dismissal, in a rather surprising move, MS Dhoni came out at number four ahead of an in-form Yuvraj Singh. The two were then involved in a 109-run fourth-wicket stand. Gautam Gambhir was castled by Thisara Perera for a 122-ball 97. However, it did not matter as the match was in India's grasp by then and MS Dhoni finished it in style by dispatching Nuwan Kulasekara into the stands as India won their second World Cup after a long wait of 28 years. The Men In Blue also became the first nation to win the coveted trophy on home soil.

"Dhoni finishes off in style. It's a magnificent strike into the crowd. India lift the World Cup after 28 years. The party has started in the dressing room and it's an Indian captain, who has been absolutely magnificent in the night of the finals," said Ravi Shastri from the commentary box.

By the virtue of this outstanding win, India also became the first & only team to win the World Cup in three different formats- 60-overs (1983), 20-overs (2007), and, 50-overs (2011) respectively.