Perhaps it wasn't quite the dream day that the Indian nation wanted, but they'll take it. They hoped to see Sachin Tendulkar light up the Wankhede Stadium as he made his 100th International century, taking India to World Cup glory. Instead they got their captain, MS Dhoni, playing a classic captain's knock, helping them ease past Sri Lanka for what ultimately was a comfortable victory. As an emphatic exclamation point on the tournament, Dhoni ended proceedings with a dramatic six over long on to finish unbeaten on 91.
Earlier, as Tendulkar departed for 18, with Sehwag already out for second-ball duck, things looked decidedly grim for India. However, Gambhir played a brave innings, unfortunately throwing his wicket away three short of a deserved century. His 83 and 109 run partnerships with Kohli and Dohni, turned the tide - along with Dhoni's brave gamble to promote himself ahead of the in-form Yuvraj Singh.
Sri Lanka were never able to exert enough scoreboard pressure, a legacy of leaving themselves around 30 runs short of what they needed after a tardy start to their innings. Tharanga scratched around for half an hour before departing for two, and when Dislhan left in the 17th over, the run rate was still below four an over. Jayawardene made a brilliant century, the first on a losing final side, finishing unbeaten on 103 off 88 balls. Some late hitting from Kulasekara and Perera boosted Sri Lanka to 274, with 63 runs coming in the final five power play overs. Zaheer Khan had his figures wrecked in the onslaught after three early maidens.
India ran down the target without the same firworks - the four highest scoring overs of the match all belonged to Sri Lanka - but they also avoided conceding any maidens. Two of the giants of the game, Tendulkar and Muttiah Muralitharan, had little impact on the contest. Dhoni and Gambhir made up for Tendulkar, but only Malinga looked likely to make inroads into the Indian line up. Murali finished with 0/39 off his final eight overs in international cricket, and Malinga couldn't add to his two early scalps.
Ultimately, India's strength of depth carried the way in the tournament. Six of their batsmen reached 90 in the tournament, while only four of the Sri Lankans reached 50. Similarly, four Indian bowlers took nine or more wickets, compared with two for Sri Lanka. It was another brave showing from Sri Lanka in the World Cup, but India were too good too often, and MS Dhoni can lead the celebrations with pride. Yuvraj was deservedly named player of the tournament for his allround performance, while Tendulkar finally ends with a World Cup title, and the satisfaction of 482 runs and two centuries in the tournament.
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