File photo of MS Dhoni© Getty Images
Former Sri Lanka fast bowler Nuwan Kulasekara revealed that MS Dhoni never brought up the 2011 World Cup final when both of them were playing for IPL team Chennai Super Kings. Dhoni smashed Kulasekara for the winning six as India defeated Sri Lanka in the final to clinch the 2011 World Cup title. Kulasekara was at the receiving end of Dhoni’s strokeplay as the then India captain slammed a brilliant 79-ball 91 to guide his team to victory. During a conversation with Revsportz, Kulasekara said that even though they played together for CSK, Dhoni never mentioned the final.
“I joined Chennai Super Kings immediately after the World Cup, but Dhoni never spoke about that final. That shows the kind of person he is. He is incredibly calm and always focused on the present. For him, the past is over. His only concern was winning the next game. That is something I really admired about him.”
“In cricket, especially during the powerplay and the death overs, such things can happen to any bowler. I tried my best to dismiss him (Dhoni), but he still hit me for a six. The positive memory is that we came back and won the 2014 T20 World Cup in a similar fashion. That is how this beautiful game works,” he added.
The former Sri Lanka star also expressed regret at dropping Gautam Gambhir in the World Cup final. Gambhir was batting at 30 when Kulasekara dropped the catch and the left-handed opener went on to slam 97 off 122 deliveries.
“At one stage we definitely believed we could win. I dropped an important catch off Gambhir, and naturally there is regret. But these moments happen in big matches. Ben Stokes experienced something similar in the 2016 T20 World Cup final before going on to play a match-winning role in England’s 2019 World Cup triumph. These experiences are part of the game. I also believe the dew played a significant role in that final,” said Kulasekara.
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