"An absolute black day for the sport"

Warren Deutrom, the Cricket Ireland chief executive, has slammed the ICC's decision to trim the next World Cup to just the ten Full Members nations, describing it as "nothing short of outrageous".

The 2015 event in Australia and New Zealand will only include the ten Test-playing nations after the ICC decided against a qualification system for the tournament, which means no chance for the likes of Ireland or Netherlands to earn a place. For 2019 there is the prospect of Associates and Affiliates finding a way back in through qualification, but today's decision has effectively frozen them out of the game's showpiece event for eight years.

The decision, while tough on all the Associate nations, is particularly hard on Ireland, who proved themselves to have been a cut above the rest of the second-tier teams during the 2011 event, with a memorable victory over England in Bangalore to add to their scalping of Pakistan on their World Cup debut in 2007. Though they still finished sixth in Group B, they were more consistently competitive than either Bangladesh or Zimbabwe, the two main beneficiaries of today's ICC's decision.

"The conclusion can only be reached that the decisions made today were based purely on the protection of the existing membership entitlements for Full Members and the commercial imperative that a ten-team event delivers nine guaranteed matches for India and England," Deutrom told ESPNcricinfo. "It's nothing short of outrageous. All of the principles by which a decision should have been made in the first instance - which is what's best for the sport and what's acting in the best interests of all 105 members - have clearly been abandoned today. 

And after such a terrific event, and the wonderful occasion of the final, where the sport was incredible and regarded in such glowing terms around the world, I'm afraid this is an absolute black day for the sport. It's a genuinely awful decision that has been reached."

Scarcely three weeks have elapsed since Ireland were the toast of world cricket, with their successful run-chase against England, led by Kevin O'Brien's record-breaking hundred, destined to remain as one of the abiding memories in World Cup history. Boyd Rankin, one of the players who featured in that game, posted his thoughts on Twitter. "Thanks ICC!! What does Irish cricket got to do?? Shambles!!"

Ireland also fought hard against West Indies and Bangladesh, and Deutrom believed his team had done enough at least to force the ICC into some sort of dialogue. "It's a betrayal of the principles of sport and the principles of meritocracy and a level playing field," he said.

"Surely the principle of sport is that if you are good enough you should have the chance to be involved. You have an Associate member who has been out-ranking a Full Member [Zimbabwe] for most of the last four years, who has got through to the Super Eights of the 2007 World Cup, and who has been genuinely been recognised as having performed even better at this one, yet on the back of those performances it has been seen fit to reduced the number of participants at the World Cup."

Although ICC have offered an expanded World Twenty20 in place of 2015 World Cup places, Deutrom has serious concerns about the impact on the sport below Test level. Part of Ireland's success comes from the generous support of sponsors and sports funding, but without the major prize of a World Cup to aim for, the product could be less valuable.

"It's difficult to expect sponsors to remain on board and the government to continue to offer support when the question they could quite legitimately ask is 'why should we support you when your own sport won't?," he said. "High Performance countries would regard themselves as proper cricket countries who play three forms of the game. The decision here, effectively, is saying the other 95 members out of 105 should go away and concentrate on 20-over cricket."

Our bowling lacked penetration: MAHELA

Sri Lanka batsman Mahela Jayawardene says a dream century in a ICC Cricket World Cup final was no consolation to losing the coveted trophy.

Jayawardene's flawless 103 not out from 88 balls went in vain as India overhauled the Sri Lankan target of 275 to win the ICC Cricket World Cup summit clash in Mumbai on Saturday. His century was the first instance of a batsman scoring a century in a World Cup final in a losing cause.

"I would swap the century for a championship medal any day," Jayawardene told the official ICC website.

He said India's batting line-up proved too strong while his side's bowling attack lacked penetration.

"We fought well but it wasn't enough. We had to take wickets to control Indian batting line-up. We got a couple of early wickets but we couldn't get anything going after that. We didn't have the penetration that we normally do, and they batted very well," he said.

The former captain said he was in good knick in the final match but disappointed to end up at the losing side.

"When I went in it felt really good, got a couple of loose balls and I struck a few boundaries. That gave me the rhythm and momentum. When Kumar got out I knew I had to bat the 50 overs. With the Powerplays you know you can catch up. I'm quite happy with the effort but unfortunately we ended up on the losing side," he said.

Asked about his own future with Sri Lanka, Jayawardene, who turns 34 next month, said he was keen to continue playing.

"It's important for us to mould the next generation of cricketers in Sri Lanka as well. I'll try and push myself to do that and be better than I am right now. There'll come a day when I'll feel I won't be able to contribute to this team, that's when I'll call it a day," he said.

10-team World Cup format CONFIRMS by ICC

The ICC have confirmed the next two World Cups will be contested by 10 teams, dealing a major blow to associate nations such as Ireland.

The recently completed competition featured 14 sides but the ICC executive board had made their intentions clear last October to cut that by four for the 2015 and 2019 events.

There was opposition from associate nations, who felt their likely exclusion from the World Cup would hinder development, and the cause took on new momentum when Ireland defeated England in the group stages.

The executive board discussed the issue again at a scheduled meeting in Mumbai on Monday, with the possibility of a 12-team tournament under consideration.

But instead the board members decided to affirm their previous decision, with only the full member nations invited to the next World Cup before a qualification process is opened ahead of 2019.

A statement following the meeting read: "The executive board confirmed their decision, made in October 2010, that the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 in Australia and New Zealand and the ICC Cricket World Cup in England in 2019 will be a 10-team event.

"The board agreed that the 2015 World Cup will comprise the existing 10 full members, however, they gave notice to all full members that participation in the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup will be determined on the basis of qualification. It was also agreed that post the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 there will be promotion and relegation introduced in the ODI League."
The board also congratulated 2011 co-hosts India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh on a successful World Cup, hailing the quality of cricket on show and the uptake of tickets and declaring the tournament "an outstanding financial success".
ICC president Sharad Pawar added: "The tournament reinforced the attraction of 50-over cricket and showed the enthusiasm and excitement generated by nation-versus-nation cricket.
"There is no doubt that this event has been a great advertisement for ODI cricket. I would like to congratulate both the Indian team and the Sri Lankan team for a befitting final match at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai which was played in the best of spirits and provided great entertainment to millions following the game the world over."
A number of other topics were debated in Mumbai, with an agreement passed to donate one million US dollars (£619,735) to New Zealand Cricket towards rebuilding their offices following the earthquake which hit Christchurch in February.
Additionally, it was confirmed that the workings of the anti-corruption unit were to be reviewed after a year in which spot-fixing has loomed large on the horizon.
The ICC statement continued: "An internationally renowned company has been appointed to review the operations of the ICC Anti Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) as part of the learnings following the Pakistan spot-fixing allegations. Sir Ronnie Flanagan, the ACSU chairman, reported that the initial recommendations following this review will be presented to the board in June."

"Most crucial knock of my career"

Gautam Gambhir described his knock of 97 in the ICC CWC final against Sri Lanka as the most important innings of his career.

Gambhir top-scored with a gutsy 97 from 122 balls which set up the historic win for India after openers Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag were out cheaply.

"The 97 in the World Cup final was not the best innings in my career but no doubt the most important one so far," Gambhir told reporters after reaching home.

"It was a special knock for me as it came in a special situation. The whole country was expecting us to win the World Cup and I have contributed my bit in India's triumph. So, it was the most important innings of my career," he said after a grand welcome with people thronging at his home following news of his arrival.

Gambhir and his Delhi team-mate Virat Kohli stitched a crucial 83-run stand for the third wicket to keep India on track in the run chase of 275 after the home side were down 31 for two. He was out three runs short of century.

He said he was not disappointed to have missed a century in the final, saying winning the World Cup was more important than personal milestone.

"Obviously, a century in the final would have been the icing on the cake. But winning was more important for the country. There is no point if you hit a century but still your team loses," he said.

"On the other hand, if you missed a century but helped your team win the World Cup, then I will take that," said 29-year-old Gambhir.

Shahid Afridi flays Indian media

Pakistan cricket captain Shahid Afridi has said Indians are not as large-hearted as Pakistanis.

Afridi also slammed the Indian media for its "very negative approach" and said the Pakistani media was a "hundred times better" than its Indian counterpart.

"In my opinion, if I have to tell the truth, they (Indians) will never have hearts like Muslims and Pakistanis. I don’t think they have the large and clean hearts that Allah has given us," Afridi said during a talk show on Samaa news channel when he was asked about relations between the two countries.

"It is a very difficult thing for us to live with them (Indians) or to have long-term relationship with them. Nothing will come out of talks. See how many times in the past 60 years we have had friendship and then how many times things have gone bad," he said as the audience in the TV channel's studio applauded him repeatedly.

"We don't want to fight with each other but a third country. Everyone knows which one it is. Is trying to spoil our relations. (This country) is taking advantage of Pakistan and wants to take advantage of India. I don't want to go into details but these people will not let us come together," he added.

Asked about the Indian media's coverage of the Pakistani team during the semi-final with India at Mohali on March 30, Afridi replied: "The Indian media has a very negative approach and very negative thoughts. The people may not be like that but I think the media had a very dirty role in spoiling relations between us and India.

"Our media, which is criticised by people, is hundred times better than theirs," he said.

India beat Pakistan in the semi-final, which was watched by the Prime Ministers of the two countries, who used cricket diplomacy to boost the peace process between the two sides.

Afridi also criticised Interior Minister Rehman Malik for warning the Pakistani team not to get involved in match-fixing and Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir, who vowed to dedicate victory in the World Cup final to victims of the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

"I think they were both very stupid comments by Rehman Malik and Gautam Gambhir...I wasn't expecting this from Gautam...This is all politics, what do you know about who carried out the Bombay attacks?" he said.

The Mumbai attacks, which left 166 people dead, were carried out by Pakistan-based militants Lashkar-e-Taiba.

ICC CWC: A Statistical Review

India became the first host nation to win the ICC Cricket World Cup by thrashing Sri Lanka by six wickets at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on April 2.

India successfully chased a score of 250-plus (277 for four) in the Final of the ICC Cricket World Cup, outstripping the previous best of 245 for three off 46.2 overs by Sri Lanka against Australia at Lahore on March 17, 1996.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the Indian captain, led from the front, with a majestic unbeaten 91, guiding India to a convincing win while chasing a stiff target.

The tenth edition of the prestigious tournament gave Sachin Tendulkar his first World Cup title in six appearances since 1992.
A statistical review of the World Cup
Individual performance - Batting
Six players have recorded two centuries each - Sachin Tendulkar, Abraham de Villiers, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Upul Tharanga, Mahela Jayawardene and Ryan ten Doeschate. Overall, twenty four hundreds were witnessed in the tenth edition of the World Cup (the most in any competition). Kevin O'Brien's strike rate of 179.36 while scoring 113 off 63 balls against England at Bangalore on March 2 is the highest in an innings. His 50-ball hundred is the fastest in the history of the World Cup. Kevin's knock had 88 runs scored through boundaries - six sixes and thirteen fours - the most in an innings.
The only other batsman, apart from Virender Sehwag, to touch 150 was Andrew Strauss. He scored 158 off 145 balls against India at Bangalore on February 27, the highest by a captain in this competition.
Ross Taylor's match-winning majestic knock of an unbeaten 131 off 124 balls was embellished with seven sixes (the most by any batsman in the competition) and eight fours. Apart from recording the highest individual innings by a New Zealander, he was the only one to aggregate 300 runs in the competition - 324 in six innings at an average of 64.80.
Taylor's tally of fourteen sixes is the most by any batsman in the tenth edition of the World Cup.
Kumar Sangakkara scored his first century as captain in ODIs - 111 off 128 balls - against New Zealand at Mumbai on March 18. He has become the first captain/wicketkeeper in the history of the World Cup to register a hundred.
Among the batsmen with 300 runs or more in the competition, Sehwag's strike rate of 122.58 is the highest.
Tillakaratne Dilshan has topped the run-charts with 500 runs (ave.62.50), including two centuries and two fifties. Besides, three other batsmen scored 400 runs - Sachin Tendulkar (482), Kumar Sangakkara (465) and Jonathan Trott (422).
Individual performance - Bowling
Tillakaratne Dilshan, apart from top-scoring for Sri Lanka, also excelled as a bowler, claiming eight wickets at an average of 15.75 in nine games, his best being 3-1-4-4, (a career-best) against Zimbabwe at Pallekele on March 10. He also took six catches.
Spinner Imran Tahir of South Africa produced a strike rate of 16.9 (the best amongst the bowlers with at least ten wickets) while claiming fourteen wickets in only five matches at an average of 10.71. The economy rate was 3.79 - an outstanding achievement by any bowler playing in his debut series in ODIs/World Cup.
Shahid Afridi and Zaheer Khan have shared the bowling honours with 21 wickets each - both records for the respective countries at the World Cup. Four other bowlers have bagged 15 wickets or more - Tim Southee (18), Robin Peterson, Muttiah Muralitharan and Yuvraj Singh. Afridi's economy rate of 3.62 is the best among the bowlers with at least ten wickets in the tournament.
Two bowlers - West Indian, Kemar Roach and Sri Lankan Lasith Malinga have accomplished hat-tricks. Both the bowlers are the only ones to bag six wickets in an innings. Kemar Roach (6/27) against Netherlands at Delhi on February 28 and Lasith Malinga (6/38) against Kenya at Colombo, RPS on March 1.
All-round performance
Yuvraj Singh has justifiably been adjudged the Player of the Tournament for aggregating 362 runs (ave.90.50), claiming 15 wickets (ave.25.13) and taking 3 catches in 9 matches apart from splendid fielding, especially in the Final.
Yuvraj has created history by becoming the only all-rounder in the history of the World Cup to post a fifty and capture five wickets in an innings (50 + 5/31) against Ireland at Bangalore on March 6. Tillakaratne Dilshan had accomplished the double of a century (144) and bag (4/4) four wickets against Zimbabwe at Pallekele on March 10.
Team performances
Seventeen totals of 300 or more have been recorded in the 2011 edition of the World Cup - two each by India, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, South Africa, England and Ireland and one each by Australia, Netherlands, Pakistan, West Indies and Zimbabwe. India's 370 for four against Bangladesh at Dhaka on February 19 is the highest score by any team.
Of the three totals of less than 100, two have been recorded by Bangladesh - 58 against West Indies on March 4 and 78 against South Africa on March 19 - both at Dhaka. Kenya got out for 69 against New Zealand at Chennai on February 20.
A total of 2161 boundaries (1903 fours + 258 sixes) were recorded in the competition. India topped the run-aggregate charts, scoring 2371 runs for the loss of 62 wickets.
The top five teams hitting most sixes in the tenth edition of the World Cup are New Zealand (36), West Indies (33), India (29), Ireland (21) and South Africa (21).
India (96.64) have got the best run-rate, making 96.64 per 100 balls, followed by Sri Lanka's 94.60, Australia's 90.46, England's 88.96, South Africa's (88.31) and New Zealand's 88.14.
21333 runs have been scored in the ICC CWC. 19986 runs were scored by batsmen while 1347 runs were extras. 731 wickets fell in this competition.

Injury ends Mathews' IPL dream

Angelo Mathews will miss the the IPL-4 after he was ruled out of action for eight weeks due to an injury picked up during the ICC CWC.

The 23-year-old, who was forced to sit out of Saturday's ICC Cricket World Cup final defeat to India, has been ruled out of the lucrative Twenty20 tournament with a side strain.

Matthews was due to play for IPL team Pune Warriors after securing a USD 9,50,000 contract.

He picked up the right-side strain during the ICC CWC semi-final win over New Zealand in Colombo.

"I have pulled a muscle. I am finding it difficult to walk, it will take about eight weeks to heal," Matthews told reporters in Colombo after the team arrived from Mumbai.

Sri Lanka lost the final last night at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium after India reached 277 for four in 48.2 overs, surpassing Sri Lanka's 275 runs with 10 balls left. The all-rounder had previously played for the Kolkata Knight Riders.

Sangakkara leads ICC's World Cup XI

Kumar Sangakkara has been named captain of the ICC's team of the 2011 World Cup that is dominated by players from India and Sri Lanka, with seven spots going to the finalists.

The side, selected with subcontinent conditions in mind and on the basis of performances in the tournament, was chosen by the same jury of officials and media persons who named Yuvraj Singh as Player of the Tournament.

The tournament's top two run-scorers, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Sachin Tendulkar were named the team's openers, while Zaheer Khan, the joint top wicket-taker, and Dale Steyn (who finished with one of the best averages - 12 wickets at 16.00 apiece) form the new-ball attack. The main spinner's role was given to Muttiah Muralitharan, while Shane Watson and Shahid Afridi, also the joint-top wicket-taker, joined Yuvraj as the team's allrounders. Mahela Jayawardene and AB de Villiers complete the middle order. The tournament's second-highest wicket-taker, Tim Southee, was named 12th man.

Other players whose names came up for discussion while choosing the 12 included Ross Taylor, Jacob Oram, Jonathan Trott, Graeme Swann, Kevin O'Brien, Kemar Roach, Kieron Pollard, Imran Tahir, Ryan ten Doeschate, Upul Tharanga and Lasith Malinga.

Mancini: Ferguson won't be worried

Roberto Mancini does not expect Sir Alex Ferguson to be worried about FA Cup semi-final opponents Manchester City.

City leapfrogged Chelsea into third place in the Barclays Premier League with their emphatic home victory over the Black Cats.
It made for an interesting Sunday afternoon's entertainment for Manchester United manager Ferguson, who viewed the game from the stands at Eastlands ahead of his side's cup showdown with City at Wembley on April 16.
But asked if he thought Ferguson might be concerned by what he had witnessed, Mancini said: "I don't think so.
"He knows the FA Cup semi-final is one game in which anything can happen, and I think he knows Manchester City very well - like we know Manchester United."
Adam Johnson, making his first start since injuring his ankle in January, opened the scoring in the ninth minute and captain Carlos Tevez doubled the Blues' advantage on the quarter-hour mark from the penalty spot.
Second-half strikes from David Silva, Patrick Vieira and Yaya Toure completed the rout as City moved a point above Chelsea.
They are also now six points ahead of fifth-placed Tottenham in the race for Champions League football, although both Spurs and Chelsea have a game in hand.
Mancini has frequently drawn criticism for his side's apparent conservatism, but with Tevez fit again having missed City's 2-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge with a groin problem, the manager opted to pair his top-scorer with Mario Balotelli up front.
Additionally boosted by the return of Johnson, it was a positive-looking team selection by Mancini which paid off even more handsomely than he expected.
"It was important for us to win this game because we had the chance to go into third position," the City boss said.
"Before the game I thought it would be difficult because it is not easy to beat Sunderland.
"They are a strong team who work very well and their manager knows everything. But we started the game brightly and that was important.
"I am surprised but I am happy. It is important that we scored five goals.
"It is possible (that it will give us confidence for our remaining games), but it is important now that we continue and go to Liverpool looking to win next Monday."
While the season still holds much promise for City, Sunderland have gone seven league games without a win and need rapid improvement if they are to avoid being dragged into the relegation dogfight.
The Black Cats have 38 points after 31 matches and manager Steve Bruce thinks that is not enough to guarantee survival.
Bruce said: "We haven't got enough points in the bag.
"We are six points (above the relegation zone) and there are seven games to go. We have been on a horrific run.
"We have played some of the top six and we have found it very difficult with a half-fit squad, but that is not to make excuses. We have to arrest that."

Woods prepares for "demanding" Augusta

After a practice round at Augusta National Golf Club, Tiger Woods admitted the course could be tougher than he expected.

The ex-world number one golfer was making preparations for the 75th Masters tournament, and admitted he was surprised at how thick the greens were, according to quotes on the golfer's website.
"It was 40 degrees, and the course was soaked after three inches of rain the night before," said Woods, who practiced with Arjun Atwal.
"It's the most grass I've ever seen on the golf course. If they use the back tees, they could make it play really long."
The American also gave an insight towards how he felt going into the competition.
"I'm in much more competitive shape, no doubt," said Woods.
"I've got a good feel for what I'm doing and have more rounds under my belt."
Woods is a four-time winner at Augusta National and has recorded 14 Major wins in his career so far.

Sore heads, bleary eyes, great memories

"I was in a state of shock," Gary Kirsten said as he described his emotions to Ratnakar Shetty, the World Cup tournament director, who also happens to be the BCCI's chief administrative officer, less than 24 hours after India had become world champions. Both men stood on the lawns of the Raj Bhavan, residence of the Governor of Maharasthra, whose capital city is Mumbai. If you were expecting to see bleary-eyed men sleep walking you would have been disappointed. The entire India squad, along with the support staff, had turned up to meet the president of India Pratibha Patil. Wearing the smart green and white-collared team T-shirts, every man looked fresh and relaxed.

Not that there were no celebrations after the World Cup triumph. As Yuvraj Singh had assured last evening, he would make sure it would be an unforgettable night. "I did not sleep," he said, wearing a pair of much-needed sunglasses. Paddy Upton was briefer. "Hungover," he said when asked about the feeling after the biggest day in his life. Harbhajan Singh concurred with Upton and added "was up till 8am". Munaf Patel had probably slept the most. "I don't drink. I don't party," he said with his open smile.

MS Dhoni, wearing a new look, having shaved his head (purported reasons varied from "spontaneity" to "religious") was kept busy by the various bigwigs, which included a mixture of politicians, industrialists and administrators. Sharad Pawar, the ICC president, attended the function along with chief executive Haroon Lorgat. The function was also attended by chiefs of other foreign boards: James Sutherland (Australia), Giles Clarke (England), Ernest Hilaire (West Indies) and few members from the Associates and the Affiliates.

The fervent celebrations that erupted immediately after Dhoni had lit up the India skies with the winning six continued through Sunday in Mumbai. Even on regular Sundays the Gateway of India, an iconic outpost which stands opposite the Indian team hotel, is the most-visited spot in the megapolis. Today a few thousand extra came in to get a glimpse of the world champions.

Through the night the fans had jumped, hooped, danced and shrieked "we are the champions, we are the champions". Those chants were again heard on the streets leading form the team hotel to the Governor's house on Sunday. The newspapers had made the people aware of the fact the players were meeting the president. Tourists and locals lined up along Marine Drive, the road which runs along the sea and leads up to Malabar Hill where Raj Bhavan is located.

The whistles and the vuvuzelas kept the tempo alive. Flags waved from the balconies and windows. A few decided to take their own victory bus ride as they hired a double-decker and passed behind the team hotel, hooting and cheering the Indians. Mumbai Indians, the IPL team Sachin Tendulkar and Harbhajan Singh represent, had put out a giant hoarding to congratulate the team.

	Even on regular Sundays the Gateway of India, an iconic outpost which stands opposite the Indian team hotel, is the most-visited spot in the megapolis. On Sunday, a few thousand extra came in to get a glimpse of the world champions

The day had started early for the players. They had a photo shoot with the Gateway of India as the backdrop. Tendulkar and Dhoni wore suits, Yuvraj and others were more casual. Every player held the Cup with various poses. Tendulkar later said that he was happy that he had never stopped chasing his dream of winning the World Cup. If anything he made sure he would never give up.

"It was a very emotional moment because I had never dreamt in my wildest of dream that I will be able to see such wonderful moments in my life," he said. "I would like to thank God for giving me such a wonderful day in my life. Whatever hard work as a team we have put in, we have got the fruits of it. Not just we as a team, the entire nation is happy in our win. That is what we wanted to achieve the most."

Tendulkar pointed out that even if winning the World Cup was his ultimate dream his passion for cricket was still very much alive. "I think this would be a proud moment for everyone in our country. We don't get to see such wonderful days everyday, so I think it is a very special day for every Indian," he said. Many agreed, including Mukesh Ambani, the owner of Mumbai Indians, who had walked in along with his wife Nita and socialised with Anjali Tendulkar and Sakshi Dhoni.

The Ambanis had arrived at the same time the Indian players lined up to meet the first lady of India. Ambani made sure he would not obstruct the flow of the things and stepped back, allowing the players to interact with the Indian president freely. "This is an achievement by the Indian team dedicated to the people of India. This is something that will inspire the youth of India," Ambani said.

His wife said when India won the Cup for the first time she was "just 19", but today she was one with the Indian team. "I am so happy team India has done us all proud," Nita Ambani said. Standing by her side, Anjali Tendulkar listened quietly. No amount of requests and pleads would force her to reveal how she felt. Instead, she made sure Dhoni's wife was comfortable, considering Sakshi was still getting used to attend such social evenings.

Kumar Manglam Birla, another noted industrialist, enquired if Gautam Gambhir's parents were present at the ground on Saturday evening. "No, they were not here as I tend to get tense if they come and watch my game. I asked them to stay back home and enjoy the game," he said. Later, Birla's wife told Harbhajan that he was their son's favourite cricketer. Another elderly lady politely asked Harbhajan about the Powerplays and the pressure on bowlers. Harbhajan did not lose the opportunity to point out the bowlers were under the pump more than the batsmen.

Players like Virender Sehwag and Munaf Patel desisted from speaking to the media but youngsters like Virat Kohli and R Ashwin were open about living a dream so early in their lives. Kohli dedicated the win to his late father, who he said always wanted him to play for India.

As the sun set, a cool breeze wafted through and the Mumbai police brass band played the national anthem once again to send off the president. The players got ready to leave. They had to pack to get back home before joining their IPL teams. But for the moment, they had to re-join the party.

Dhoni and Gambhir lead India to World Cup glory

Twenty-eight years on from the match that transformed the history of world cricket, India recaptured the crown that Kapil Dev and his men first lifted at Lord's in 1983, and this time they did so in their very own back yard. An iron-willed 97 from Gautam Gambhir was matched for intensity by the finest captain's innings since Ricky Ponting in Johannesburg eight years ago, as MS Dhoni trumped a poetic century from Mahela Jayawardene to pull off the highest run-chase ever achieved in a World Cup final.

Against a triumphant backdrop at the Wankhede Stadium, victory was sealed by six wickets with 10 balls to spare, as Dhoni - who had promoted himself to No. 5 to heap extra lashings of responsibility onto his own shoulders - rushed through the gears as the victory target drew nearer. With 15 required from 17 balls, he flicked Sri Lanka's only true threat, Lasith Malinga, through midwicket for consecutive boundaries, before smoking Nuwan Kulasekara over long-on to finish on 91 not out from 79 balls, and spark the most delirious scenes of celebration ever seen on the subcontinent.

However, the final margin did little justice to the tussle that had preceded it. Even the toss ended up being disputed, as Kumar Sangakkara's initial call was drowned out by the crowd, but it was the ebb and flow of Zaheer Khan's day that epitomised the fluctuations of a compelling contest. Zaheer opened his account with three consecutive maidens and the scalp of Upul Tharanga in a peerless spell of 5-3-6-1, only to be clobbered for 17 and 18 runs in his ninth and tenth overs, as Sri Lanka monstered 63 runs in the batting Powerplay to post an imposing 274 for 6.

And India's day got much worse before the team's fortunes began to inch upwards. Virender Sehwag had hit a boundary from the first ball of six of India's previous eight innings in the tournament, but this time Malinga's slingers dealt him a second-ball duck, as he skidded a full delivery into his back pad. And then Sachin Tendulkar, for whom the script had seemingly been written, was drawn into a loose drive by a fast Malinga outswinger, having set the stadium on standby for instant history with 18 sumptuously accumulated runs from his first 12 deliveries.

At 31 for 2 in the seventh over, India were struggling to keep their toehold in the contest, and it was all too much for a faithless few in the crowd who turned their backs and set off for home. But Gambhir and Virat Kohli epitomise a generation that does not easily accept defeat, and their third-wicket stand of 83 laid the foundations for an epic turnaround. The prospect of a seam-friendly surface, allied to the grievous loss of Angelo Mathews to a thigh strain, had tempted Sri Lanka into four key changes to the team that had triumphed over New Zealand in Colombo, and with Muttiah Muralitharan lacking bite in the final wicketless appearance of his 19-year career, Malinga alone could not carry the day.

The hard-hitting of Nuwan Kulasekara and Thisara Perera had been instrumental in hoisting Sri Lanka's total to such heights, but in their primary role as front-line seamers they lacked menace and were all too easy to squeeze as 119 runs came from their combined allocation of 17.2 overs. The newcomer to the squad, Suraj Randiv, caused a moment of alarm with his high-kicking offspin when Gambhir, on 30, was dropped by a diving Kulasekara at long-off, but as the innings progressed, his lack of guile proved costly. The decision to omit both Ajantha Mendis and Rangana Herath, whose combined efforts had been so effective against England and New Zealand, is one that will haunt Sri Lanka for years to come.

But this was a victory that still had to be grasped, and India found the men who were willing to do so. The 22-year-old Kohli, who was greeted with a stern word of encouragement as he replaced the outgoing Tendulkar, showed all the mettle for the big occasion as he eased along to 35 from 49 balls before falling to an outstanding return catch by Tillakaratne Dilshan, who dived full-length across the crease to intercept a leading edge. But it was Gambhir and Dhoni to whom the ultimate duty fell. Their 109-run stand was the highest by an Indian pairing in three World Cup final appearances, and even when Gambhir gave away the chance for an unforgettable century with a tired charge and slash at Perera, the result was no longer in doubt.

Gambhir struck nine fours in a 122-ball statement of indomitability, and both he and Dhoni required treatment for stiff backs as the sapping Mumbai heat took its toll. Dhoni at one stage looked so immobile that a precautionary retirement seemed the only logical response, but after some harsh work from the physio he resumed his stance and responded with another trademark filleting of the extra cover boundary, an area in which he scored six of his eight fours - three of which helped to blunt Murali's attacking instincts.

Both teams contained numerous veterans of World Cup final defeat, with no fewer than five Indians still remaining from the team that lost to Australia back in 2003, and as a consequence this was a match thick with performances that spoke of the wisdom of experience. Though each of the previous five centurions in finals had gone on to lift the trophy, as well as seven of the nine teams that had had the chance to bat first, Jayawardene had the misfortune to become an exception to both rules. His stunning 103 not out from 88 balls was proof that finesse has as much of a place at this level as brutality, but ultimately it was not enough to deny India their destiny.

Four years ago at Sabina Park, Jayawardene produced a supreme century against New Zealand to carry his side to their second World Cup final, but this was an innings of even more exquisite application. He came to the crease with his side under the cosh at 60 for 2 in the 17th over, having been throttled by Zaheer's supreme new-ball spell. But he responded with a tempo that scarcely wavered from a run a ball, until with Kulasekera for company, he opened his shoulders to power through to his hundred from 84 balls.

For an occasion of this magnitude, cool heads were the order of the day, and though his final figures did not show it, no-one was cooler in the opening exchanges than Zaheer. On his watch, Sri Lanka were limited to 31 for 1 in their mandatory Powerplay, their lowest ten-over score of the tournament, and the hapless Tharanga was restricted to two runs from 20 balls before snicking to Sehwag at slip, whose sharp low take epitomised a fielding effort that was rarely less than totally committed. Then, when he returned in the 37th over, Zaheer deceived Chamara Kapugedera with a beautiful slower ball that was driven to short cover, on route to equalling Shahid Afridi as the tournament's leading wicket-taker, with 21.

And yet, the speed with which his figures were vandalised was astounding. Though each of Jayawardene's 13 fours was a classy stroke in its own right, none was better than the last of them, an inside-out cover-drive to one of Zaheer's trademark outswinging yorkers, as he premeditated the late movement and filleted the ring of fielders on the off-side. The outright acceleration came from the other end, however, where Kulasekera made 32 from 30 balls before his sacrificial run-out led to a pat of gratitude from Jayawardene as they parted. And then, by the time Perera, who made 22 from nine balls, had sealed his onslaught with a dismissive thump for six over midwicket, the decibel levels in the Wankhede had plummeted.

But run by run, over by over, minute by minute, India picked themselves up, dusted themselves down, and turned the screw on Sri Lanka with a determination that a lesser group of men could not have begun to muster, amid the sure knowledge that several billion countrymen were investing all their hopes in their actions. And though he himself played just a walk-on part in the wider drama, it was Tendulkar who was chaired from the field as the celebrations began in earnest. "He's carried the burden of our nation for 21 years," said the youngster Kohli. "It was time to carry him on our shoulders today."