Gautam Gambhir reveals reason for attempting ‘that shot’ which led to his dismissal on 97 at 2011 World Cup Final in chat with Virat Kohli | Cricket News

In the 2011 ODI World Cup final, India were in a comfortable position at 223/3, chasing 275, before Gautam Gambhir decided to dance down the track to Sri Lanka’s Thisara Perera and got his stumps rattled after missing an attempted shot through the off-side. The decision not only created an opening for the opposition to get back into the match but the southpaw, who was batting 97, also ended up missing his century.
The 42-year-old on Wednesday acknowledged that he played that shot because he was looking to get to his milestone. “I fumbled in the 2011 World Cup final and when people asked about did I have to play that shot? Why did I play that shot? The reason I played that shot was because before that shot I was thinking about what I needed to chase,” Gambhir said on BCCI TV in a chat with Virat Kohli.
“The moment I reached 97 then I started thinking you are just one shot away from getting your milestone, how am I going to celebrate and I am going to be the first Indian to score a hundred in the final,” Gambhir recalled. “The disappointment was not missing out on 100 but the disappointment was on giving the opposition a breather. Imagine bringing the opposition back into the game,” he added.
Gambhir came into bat in a tricky situation in Wankhede when India lost Virender Sehwag for a first-ball duck. Lasith Malinga who would pick Sehwag would later snap up Sachin Tendulkar in the seventh over to silence the Mumbai crowd. However, Gambhir and Kohli got together and built a handy partnership to take India to safe shores before Kohli chipped a shot and was caught and bowled Tilakaratne Dilshan. After that, MS Dhoni joined Gambhir in the middle with the former player famously going on to finish the game with a six.

“I wish I had finished that game,” Gambhir had said earlier during a seminar in Kolkata. “It was my job to finish the game, rather than leaving someone to finish the game. If I had to turn back the clock, I would go back there and score the last run, irrespective of how many runs I scored,” he added.