MS Dhoni wishes for India to win "100 more World Cups"

It has been over a decade since the historic moment when the Men in Blue, led by MS Dhoni, ended a 28-year-long World Cup drought. The 2011 ODI World Cup, however, still remains fresh in the memories of avid Indian cricket fans. It turns out that the World Cup-winning skipper, Dhoni, also remembers the details of that fated night as vividly as when it happened. In his latest interaction, the former Indian captain spoke about the winning feeling and how the Wankhede crowd made it special with the 'Vande Mataram' chant.

MS Dhoni reminisces about the 2011 ODI World Cup, calls the winning feeling incomparable

MS Dhoni, who led India to its first ODI World Cup triumph in 28 years, revisited the memorable victory against Sri Lanka on April 2, 2011, at Mumbai’s iconic Wankhede Stadium. The skipper's unbeaten 91 played a decisive role in guiding the Men in Blue to a successful chase of 275, sealing the win in 48.2 overs with six wickets still in hand.

The decorated former India captain appeared at an event, where he reminisced about the electric scenes created by supporters during the closing moments of the 2011 ODI World Cup final. Dhoni recalled how the crowd erupted into the timeless “Vande Mataram” chant as the match approached its peak, describing it as the most extraordinary atmosphere he had ever encountered throughout his storied career.

Although MS Dhoni expressed his desire to witness both the Indian men’s and women’s teams lift many more World Cups in the coming years, he admitted that replicating the environment of that night would be nearly impossible. The wicketkeeper-batter, who struck the iconic winning runs in the final, said the emotional weight of the chant, shaped by India’s journey through the tournament and the stakes of the title clash, made the moment incomparable.

“It was 15-20 minutes before the final delivery," Dhoni said. “Wankhede is not a very big stadium, but all the noise stays inside. The whole stadium started to chant Vande Mataram. It was not synchronised. It started somewhere but kept on moving like a Mexican Wave, but more with the voice. Standing in the middle, you could feel it moving around. In my cricketing career, I would say that was the best atmosphere, the best feeling I had at that point in time. Emotionally, I got very high, and that was a very touching moment," he said during the event.

“It is very difficult to recreate that kind of moment. India dobara bhi jeetegi, Women’s team jeetegi, Men’s team jeetegi, India mai jeetegi, India ke bahar jeetegi, bhagwan kare 100 baar jeetegi (India will win again, the Women’s team will win, the Men’s team will win, they will win in India and outside India as well, may god make them win 100 times), but the whole essence of how the game started, what went through, and how we started the run-chase, all those things matter," he added.

After stepping away from international cricket in 2020, Chennai's beloved 'Thala' has continued to feature in the Indian Premier League. The five-time IPL-winning skipper is preparing to enter what will be his 19th straight season in the lucrative T20 league next year, as IPL 2026 approaches.