Suresh Raina credits player for whom Indian won the 2011 World Cup – CricketTimes.com

The victory of the 2011 World Cup is a sweet memory for all Indians who witnessed the glorious feat that came after a long 28-year wait.

Even more so, because it turned out to be the perfect ending to the fairy tale of Sachin Tendulkar’s brilliant career. Before 2011, Sachin appeared in up to five world cups that ended in disappointment.

Sachin painfully approached the coveted trophy at the 2003 World Cup in South Africa, where he single-handedly led the Indian side to the final with his tally of more than 600 races.

After India’s humiliating departure from the 2007 World Cup, Sachin reflected on retirement briefly, but returned in style, scoring tons with ease in the prelude to the mega event in 2011.

Please, the Indian hitter, Suresh Raina, whose cameos helped India clinch the title, named the player for whom India won the World Cup. And, it is none other than the Master Blaster.

“With Sachin, it’s always about his calm. It was because of Sachin that we won the World Cup,” Raina told the Khaleej Times.

“He was the guy who made everyone on the team believe we can do that, he was like the team’s second coach,” added Raina.

Tendulkar led the Indian onslaught from the front, racking up 482 runs, the second-most in the tournament. He racked up tons against England and South Africa, with notable contributions in knockouts against Pakistan and Australia.

It is now a well-known phenomenon that the entire Indian squad was playing for the Little Master’s last world cup, and therefore played out of their masks.

Raina was also fortunate to play another World Cup in 2015 unlike many other stars of the class of 2011, who never appeared for another ODI World Cup, namely Gautam Gambhir, Harbhajan Singh, Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh.