Former Sri Lankan and Chennai Super Kings fast bowler Nuwan Kulasekara praised MS Dhoni for not talking about the 2011 ODI World Cup final while leading the franchise in IPL 2011. Kulasekara was part of CSK for two seasons – 2011 and 2012 but revealed Dhoni never talked about the ODI showpiece’s summit clash.
Dhoni had smashed Kulasekara for a famous six in the final and had helped India win their second ODI World Cup title. The former Indian skipper played a match-winning knock of 91 runs off just 79 balls at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, and was awarded the Player of the Match.
Nuwan Kulasekara said in an interview with RevSportz, “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.”
Meanwhile, Kulasekara admitted there was regret when he dropped Gautam Gambhir’s catch in the final. Gambhir was on 30 runs when the pacer could not hang on to a catch, and the Indian opener went on to score a crucial knock of 97 runs off 122 balls.
“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 (via the aforementioned source).
After a disappointing loss in the 2011 ODI World Cup final, Sri Lanka won the 2014 T20 World Cup final against India.
