I don't regret missing a hundred in 2011 World Cup final, says Gautam Gambhir

There is no doubt about the fact that Gautam Gambhir is India’s World Cup hero. If his 75-run knock in World T20 final in 2007 was special, his 97 in the 2011 50-over World Cup final is still etched in the minds of the fans. The southpaw deserved a century on the day after all the hard work but it was his partnership along with MS Dhoni which ensured a victory for India as they won the title after a 28-year long wait.

Gambhir was castled by Thisara Perera in the 42nd over with India only 52 runs away from a famous win. He scored 97 off 122 balls after walking in to bat after Virender Sehwag had got out for a duck in the very first over. However, despite missing out on a century, the left-hander has no regrets for it and is more happy that the team won in the end.

“Not at all. Our aim was to win the Cup and I wanted to contribute heavily. I did and 97 is much better than a small score. Even today I don’t regret not getting those three runs,” Gambhir said while speaking to the Times of India when asked if he regrets not getting to the three-figure mark in the final.

I didn’t get any time to be tense

For Gautam Gambhir, Sehwag getting out early worked as a blessing in disguise. Just after he padded up as the number three batsman, India’s opener got out to Lasith Malinga in the first over and he had to walk into the middle. What followed then is history.

“I did not get any time to be tense, because I had to go in immediately after the loss of Virender Sehwag’s wicket. Since I did not have time to think deeply about the match situation, it helped me to play my natural game. Gradually the runs started coming, and I had no tension at all.

“When I got out, the Indian team were almost on the verge of victory. Mahi (MS Dhoni) and I added 109 runs for the fourth wicket, which sealed the deal. It was a blessing in disguise that I could not think much about the pressure,” Gautam Gambhir further said while recalling the moments of that epic final.

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