With an indoor quarantine imposed onto us, we’ve got nothing but to live in the nostalgia of a few memorable moments our life witnessed. For every Indian cricketing mind and heart, the fondest of all has to be ‘That winning six from MS Dhoni’ with those exact Ravi Shastri’s reverberating words –
“And Dhoni finishes off in style. A magnificent strike into the crowd, and India lift the world cup after 28 years. Parties start in the dressing room and it’s been the Indian captain who’s been magnificent in the night of the final”
The World Cup will be remembered for not just the final, but how India fought their way back hard through the knockouts. 
The group stage for India was a mix of easy wins, a terrible loss and an enthralling tie. India had marched past the minnows with ease, but hit a roadblock when they lost to a Peterson-inspired South Africa. 
India’s encounter with England exactly before that, however, had to be the one for the highlights. Tendulkar’s blistering knock was almost neutralized by Strauss’s mesmerizing 158. While both openers were in no mood to rest, it was probably the death bowling on either side that restricted both the teams to exactly 338. “They were so good that neither team deserved to lose.”
Though India were considered favorites all along, the group stage results had left Indians with a stern test of facing Australia in the quarter-finals. Ricky Ponting and Brad Haddin, along with a finishing blast from David Hussey had seen Australia through to a reasonable target. The Australian bowling attack was by far one of the best from the tournament and chasing a mammoth 261 had to take some doing. Indians built partnerships, got starts but no one could convert one into a bigger knock. 
With 12 overs remaining and a little more than 75 runs needed, the match was evenly poised. And that’s when the southpaws, Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina, stitched a match-winning stand. Their sumptuousness with the drives, effortlessness with the pull, and the aptness with the placement saw India home with a couple of balls to spare.
What followed was to be the most celebrated rivalry in World Cricket. Post a controversy, PCA’s stadium at Mohali was finalized to host this crucial encounter. MS Dhoni won the toss and chose to bat and right from the word go, Virender Sehwag set the stage on fire. 
It was only the 3rd over when Sehwag smashed Umar Gul for 5 boundaries in a single over. The intentions were made clear and a few missed chances from Pakistan helped along. Courtesy Tendulkar, India had just about reached a total of 260/9, leaving Pakistan with the same target that the Indians chased against Australia.
The only way India stood with a chance of winning was by taking wickets. Munaf Patel’s 5-for was indeed invaluable but it was rather the double strike from Yuvraj in the middle overs that helped India grab control. Despite Misbah-ul-Haq’s valiant effort, Pakistan left too much for the end enabling India to reach only its third final in 35 years.
The stage was set, Wankhede was blue, and both hosts, India and Sri Lanka, found themselves with an opportunity of a lifetime. Both teams had won only once and the crown would also mean a perfect farewell to their long-serving veterans. Sri Lanka were to bat first with India given the tougher job of chasing under pressure. 
Dilshan, Jayawardane, Malinga had all set the tournament on fire and they continued to pile on runs. Jayawardane went on to score a century while Perrera’s last over blash added onto India’s misery taking away the momentum the Indians had gained till then.
Nasser Hussain: “Momentum for Sri Lanka, they believe”
Chasing 275, India lost Sehwag on the second ball and Tendulkar edged one to Sangakara leaving the crowd silent at 33/2. The revival came in the form of Virat and Gambhir. The duo from Delhi stitched a partnership sufficing Indian needs. When Virat departed, Yuvraj, the World Cup hero, was to arrive.
However, the captain had different intentions. Dhoni had a decent but a relatively quieter world cup so far. His promotion up the order to face the off-spinner though, had started to pay dividends. It also kept the righty-lefty combination going and only with time the two steered India to safety. At 97, Gambhir missed a straight one from Perera losing out on a well-deserved World Cup final hundred. India still needed about 50 from as many deliveries.
Yuvraj had joined MS Dhoni, but the latter was already into the innings of his life. Strong back-foot punches, exuberant pulls, immense power and pinpoint placements, there could never be an innings as perfect as his. With 4 needed off the last 11 deliveries, Dhoni sent the leather into the orbit over long-on. The joyous scene resumed. Tears of joy, excitement, celebration, parties, fireworks and cheers resumed. There were processions and winning marches that night. The city of dreams had seen India complete its dream yet again after 28 years.
The 13-year old me was also there celebrating the win with my neighbors. If anyone ever asks me to choose a moment in life I’d like to treasure, there’s one right there….
As a young boy I dreamt of winning this trophy; that’s where it all started. This is by far the best moment and it’s the one I’ve been waiting for 24 years”
— A day after the win, Tendulkar tells ICC
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