Over 1: Zaheer Khan to Tharanga
0.1 Zaheer to Tharanga
Zaheer glides to the crease, his action smooth and rhythmic. The arm comes over beautifully, wrist locked behind the ball. A gentle outswinger, pitching perfectly on off and moving away late. Tharanga shoulders arms nervously, watching the ball die into Dhoni's gloves.
Commentary (Ravi Shastri): "And we are underway in Mumbai! Beautiful shape first up from Zaheer Khan. He's asking questions immediately. Tharanga looks tentative, feet stuck in cement. He knows he can't afford to fish at those."
DOT BALL
The first over was a masterclass in swing bowling. Zaheer made the ball talk, swinging it both ways, teasing the outside edge, and forcing Tharanga into a shell. The crowd roared with every play-and-miss, amplifying the pressure with every dot ball.
Then, from the other end, came the Deva.
Over 2: Siddanth Deva to Dilshan
Deva marked his long run-up.
1.1 Deva to Dilshan
Deva hits the deck hard back of a length. 142kmph. The ball nips back in sharply off the seam. Dilshan, expecting width, is cramped for room and defends awkwardly to mid-on, the bat jarring in his hands.
Commentary (Sunil Gavaskar): "That is heavy. You can hear the thud into the bat. Deva isn't trying to be express; he's trying to be accurate. Look at the seam position. Upright and proud. He's hitting the splice of the bat, not the middle."
DOT BALL
For the first six overs, the Indian opening bowlers put on a masterclass of containment. The run rate was suffocating—barely touching 2.5 runs per over. The ball was doing just enough to keep the batsmen honest, and the fielders were diving to stop even the singles. Tharanga, in particular, looked like a cat on a hot tin roof. He had scored just 2 runs off 19 balls, his eyes darting around the field, desperate for a release shot that wasn't there. The pressure was building like steam in a cooker.
Over 7: Zaheer Khan to Tharanga
6.1 Zaheer to Tharanga
Zaheer comes round the wicket, changing the angle. He angles it in towards the pads, then gets it to straighten perfectly off the pitch. Tharanga, desperate to feel bat on ball, pushes at it with hard hands, abandoning the soft defense he had maintained.
The ball kisses the outside edge—a thick, distinct nick. It flies low and fast to the left of first slip.
Virender Sehwag dives. It's not the most graceful dive, but his buckets for hands snap shut around the leather. He rolls over, clutching the ball against his chest, and throws it skyward!
Commentary (Shastri): "EDGED AND GONE! The pressure tells! Tharanga has to go! A torture of an innings comes to an end! 2 runs off 20 balls! Zaheer Khan draws first blood for India! The Wankhede erupts! That wicket belongs as much to the dot balls as it does to the delivery!"
WICKET (Tharanga 2)
The crowd went berserk. The first domino had fallen, and the roar was deafening.
Kumar Sangakkara walked in at number 3. The stylish left-hander looked unperturbed by the noise, walking with the grace of a statesman. He marked his guard, looked around the field, and began the repair job. He knew the situation demanded calm, not panic.
He and Dilshan realized that swinging wildly against Zaheer and Deva was suicide. They decided to rotate the strike, pinching singles to throw the bowlers off their lengths.
Over 12: Deva to Sangakkara
11.3 Deva to Sangakkara
Deva bowls a bouncer, 148kmph, directed at the badge on the helmet. Sangakkara sways out of the way effortlessly, eyes tracking the ball all the way to the keeper.
DOT BALL
11.4 Deva to Sangakkara
Fuller this time, searching for the drive. Sangakkara leans into a classic cover drive. It's timed sweetly, destined for the boundary, but Virat Kohli at cover dives full length to stop it, saving a certain four.
Commentary (Ian Chappell): "That is the battle right there. Class batting met by brilliant fielding. India is giving nothing away. The run rate is still under 3.5. This is stifling. Sri Lanka needs a boundary just to remember what it feels like."
DOT BALL
Despite the low run rate, the partnership began to build. Dilshan started to find his feet, hitting a rare boundary off Munaf Patel (who replaced Zaheer) with a punch through the covers. But Dhoni, sensing the shift in momentum and Dilshan's growing comfort, brought on his premier spinner.
Over 17: Harbhajan Singh to Dilshan
Harbhajan came round the wicket, drifting the ball into the pads of Dilshan, cramping his favorite cut shot and forcing him to play across the line.
16.2 Harbhajan to Dilshan
Dilshan tries the sweep—his go-to shot to release pressure against spin. But Harbhajan has anticipated it; he's bowled it slower, and the ball dips right at the point of impact.
The ball hits the glove, trickles onto the pad, spins back, and rolls agonizingly onto the stumps. The bails fall with a soft clatter that is drowned out by the scream of the crowd.
Commentary (Harsha Bhogle): "Bowled 'em! The sweep shot brings about his downfall! Dilshan was looking dangerous, trying to manufacture a shot that wasn't there! The Turbanator strikes! A huge wicket for India! Sri Lanka 60 for 2! They are digging a hole here!"
WICKET (Dilshan 33)
Mahela Jayawardene walked out. If Sangakkara was the steel of Sri Lanka, Jayawardene was the silk. His batting was less about power and more about caressing the ball into submission.
The two veterans began to construct a partnership that was pure artistry. They didn't slog. They barely hit the ball in the air. They manipulated the field, finding gaps with the precision of diamond cutters, running hard twos and turning defense into attack.
Over 25: Yuvraj Singh to Jayawardene
24.1 Yuvraj to Jayawardene
Jayawardene uses his wrists to flick a ball from outside off to the mid-wicket boundary. It was a shot that defied the physics of the delivery.
Commentary (Sanjay Manjrekar): "How did he do that? That ball was on the sixth stump, and he hit it to mid-wicket. He makes batting look ridiculously easy. It's like he has a protractor in his head."
FOUR
The partnership crossed 50 runs, then 60. The scoreboard began to tick over, slowly but surely. The Indian bowlers—Munaf, Sreesanth, and Yuvraj—were trying everything, varying their pace and lines, but the two legends seemed immovable, reading the game beautifully.
But cricket is a game of moments, and one lapse in concentration is all it takes.
Over 28: Yuvraj Singh to Sangakkara
Sangakkara was on 48. He looked set for a half-century, anchoring the innings perfectly. Yuvraj bowled a harmless-looking flighted delivery outside off, perhaps a touch wider than usual.
Sangakkara tried to cut it late, looking to run it down to third man. The ball bounced a fraction more than expected. It took the faint top edge.
MS Dhoni, standing up to the stumps, reacted instantly. His gloves snapped shut.
Commentary (Shastri): "Got him! Yes! A loose shot from a great player! Sangakkara cuts and is caught behind! Yuvraj Singh, the man with the golden arm, breaks the partnership! 48 for the captain. Just when they were looking safe, India claws back! The crowd senses blood!"
WICKET (Sangakkara 48)
Thilan Samaraweera joined Jayawardene. But Mahela was in "The Zone." He reached his 50 with a sublime late cut. He was anchoring the innings, preparing for an assault at the death. He was the barrier standing between India and a manageable target.
By the 38th over, Jayawardene was on 70. He looked immovable. Dhoni had rotated all his bowlers. Nothing worked. Jayawardene was reading the game perfectly, pacing his innings for a grand finish.
Dhoni looked at the scoreboard. Sri Lanka was 194/3. If Jayawardene stayed till the 50th over, they would score 300—a score that wins finals 9 times out of 10.
Dhoni looked at Siddanth Deva. He looked at Zaheer Khan.
"I'll have to bring them back," Dhoni muttered. "It's time."
---
Dhoni jogged up to Deva before he started his spell. He put an arm around the young bowler, shielding his mouth with his gloved hand.
"Sid," Dhoni said, his voice low and intense. "Mahela is shuffling across. He is expecting the yorker or the length ball. He's set himself for pace. I want you to feed his ego."
"Feed it?" Deva asked, wiping sweat from his forehead, his chest heaving.
"Bowl four balls fast. Back of a length. Make him hurry. Make him think pace is your only weapon today," Dhoni plotted. "Push him back. And the fifth ball... I want the heavy ball. The cross-seam cutter. Short, but slow. Make him reach for it. Make him generate the power."
Deva nodded, understanding the psychological warfare. "The trap."
"The trap," Dhoni confirmed. He adjusted the field. He moved deep square leg finer. He pushed mid-off back. It looked like a field set for a bouncer barrage.
Over 40: Deva to Jayawardene
39.1 Deva to Jayawardene
Deva steams in, the crowd roaring with his run-up.
Speed: 152 kmph.
Back of a length, rising towards the chest. Jayawardene stands tall and defends solidly.
DOT BALL
39.2 Deva to Jayawardene
Speed: 154 kmph.
Similar line, slightly wider. Jayawardene tries to steer it to third man but is beaten by sheer pace. The ball thuds into Dhoni's gloves.
Commentary (Gavaskar): "That is rapid! Deva is cranking it up now! Jayawardene was late on that. He's rushing the master."
DOT BALL
39.3 Deva to Jayawardene
Speed: 151 kmph.
Directed at the ribs. Jayawardene tucks it awkwardly to square leg. No run. He grimaces slightly.
DOT BALL
39.4 Deva to Jayawardene
Speed: 155 kmph.
A searing yorker on off stump. Jayawardene digs it out with class, jamming the bat down just in time.
DOT BALL
Jayawardene smiled. He thought he had weathered the storm. He thought Deva was just trying to blast him out with raw aggression. He adjusted his grip, preparing himself for another thunderbolt.
39.5 Deva to Jayawardene
Deva ran in. Same run-up. Same aggressive approach. Same arm speed. Jayawardene triggered back, weight on the back foot, ready to pull or defend a fast bouncer.
But Deva rolled his fingers across the seam at the very last moment. He dug it into the pitch.
Speed: 118 kmph.
The ball didn't rise. It stopped on the pitch. It glued itself to the surface for a millisecond.
Jayawardene was already through his pull shot. He realized too late. He tried to check it, to pull the bat down, but momentum won. The ball hit the toe end of the bat, devoid of any pace to carry it to the boundary.
It didn't go to the fence. It went straight up. Mile high into the Mumbai night sky.
The ball swirled in the floodlights. Three fielders converged—Kohli from point, Raina from mid-wicket, Deva from the pitch.
"MINE!" The voice boomed like thunder.
It was Dhoni. He was running towards short leg, eyes fixed on the white speck descending from the heavens. The fielders scattered instantly.
Dhoni settled under it. He waited. And waited. The ball dropped from the stratosphere.
Thud.
Dhoni caught it and rolled over, holding the ball up like a trophy.
Commentary (Shastri): "IN THE AIR... AND TAKEN! DHONI CALLS FOR IT! The trap has worked! The danger man is gone! Mahela Jayawardene is deceived by the change of pace! Magnificent captaincy, brilliant execution by Deva! 74 for Mahela. A standing ovation for a great knock, but India gets the prize wicket just when it mattered most!"
WICKET (Jayawardene 74)
The huddle was ecstatic. Dhoni patted Deva on the head. "Good ball." That was all he said. It was enough.
With Mahela gone, the Sri Lankan lower order tried to accelerate, but the rhythm was broken. Chamara Kapugedera and Thilan Samaraweera added a quick 30 runs, but it was desperate hitting rather than controlled aggression.
Zaheer Khan returned to bowl the death overs with his trademark knuckleballs, confusing the new batsmen. Deva bowled one more over of pure fire, cleaning up Samaraweera with a 158kmph yorker that uprooted the leg stump and sent it cartwheeling towards the keeper.
Over 48: Zaheer to Kapugedera
Slower ball. Kapugedera chips it to Raina at mid-off.
WICKET.
Over 50: Nuwan Kulasekara
Kulasekara hit a massive six off the final over to lift the spirits of the Lankan dressing room, pushing the total to a competitive score. It was a defiant blow, reminding India that the chase wouldn't be a walk in the park.
Final Score: Sri Lanka 274/7 in 50 Overs.
As the players walked off, the crowd cheered, a mix of relief and anticipation. 275 to win. In a World Cup Final. Under lights. The dew was starting to settle on the outfield, glistening under the floodlights.
Commentary (Nasser Hussain): "274 is a serious total in a final. Runs on the board. India will need the highest successful chase in a World Cup final to win this. The stage is set. Can Sachin get his 100th hundred? Can Deva do it again? Join us in 40 minutes for the chase of a lifetime."
---
The floodlights at the Wankhede Stadium dimmed slightly, shifting from the harsh glare of competition to the ambient glow of the interval. On the field, the sprinklers hissed to life, dampening the outfield to combat the inevitable dew. The players had disappeared into the tunnels, leaving behind a pitch scarred by fifty overs of intense combat and a crowd buzzing with nervous energy.
High above the stands, in the air-conditioned sanctuary of the Star Sports studio, the atmosphere was electric. The glass walls offered a panoramic view of the sea of blue jerseys, now shifting and swirling as fans rushed for refreshments. Inside, the red "ON AIR" light flickered to life.
Mayanti Langer stood at the center of the panel, her expression serious but energized. Flanking her were the titans of cricket analysis: Sunil Gavaskar, Wasim Akram, and Shane Warne.
Mayanti: "Welcome back to the mid-innings show. Take a breath, India. The first half of the World Cup Final is done. Sri Lanka has posted 274 for 7. It is a fighting total. It is a total that asks questions. But looking at how it started, India might feel they let a few runs slip, but they also grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck when it mattered. Sunny, is 275 chaseable?"
Gavaskar: "Mayanti, in a World Cup Final, you add 20 runs to the total just for the pressure. So, effectively, India is chasing 295. History is against them. No team has ever chased this many to win the World Cup. But... this Indian batting lineup is special. And the Wankhede pitch is playing true. If the dew comes in, the ball will skid on nicely. It is definitely chaseable, but they cannot afford to lose early wickets."
Mayanti: "Let's talk about the start. It was a masterclass in swing bowling. Let's look at the highlights of the first ten overs."
The giant screen behind them dissolved into a montage of high-definition slow-motion footage.
The screen showed Zaheer Khan at the top of his run-up. The footage slowed down to show his grip on the ball—the seam perfectly upright.
Wasim Akram: "Look at this. This is poetry. I have bowled all my life, and I can tell you, doing this in a World Cup Final requires nerves of steel. Zaheer didn't try to bowl fast. He tried to bowl perfect. Look at the wrist position at the point of release. Snap. The seam stays straight. It lands on off-stump and just kisses the surface to move away."
The replay showed Upul Tharanga prodding tentatively, the ball whizzing past the outside edge.
Akram: "Tharanga was terrified. You can see it in his footwork. He's planted. He's waiting for the ball to come to him instead of going to the ball. And then... the payoff."
The screen cut to the dismissal. The angled delivery, the straightening, the edge. Sehwag's dive was replayed from three different angles.
Shane Warne: "Great hands from Viru. But credit to Zak. He set him up. Outswinger, outswinger, outswinger, and then the one that holds its line. That's the classic one-two punch."
Mayanti: "And then from the other end, Siddanth Deva."
The footage switched to Deva. The ultra-motion camera captured the compression of the ball as it hit the deck.
Gavaskar: "This impressed me more than the 264 runs, to be honest. A young man, full of adrenaline, usually wants to bowl the fastest ball of the tournament. But look at his line. Fourth stump. Back of a length. He cramped Dilshan. He didn't give him any room to free his arms. That discipline allowed Zaheer to attack from the other end. It was a partnership with the ball."
Mayanti: "Let's look at the Dilshan wicket. Harbhajan Singh."
The screen showed the sweep shot. The ball dipping. The bails falling.
Warne: "This is clever bowling. Harbhajan saw Dilshan shuffling. He slowed it down. gave it a bit more air. Dilshan was through the shot too early. That's the drift doing the work. The ball didn't turn much, but it dipped. Crucial breakthrough because Dilshan can take the game away in five overs."
The mood in the studio shifted as the montage moved to the middle overs. The visuals changed from Indian dominance to Sri Lankan artistry. Mahela Jayawardene's Wagon Wheel popped up on the holographic floor. It was a spray of white lines, mostly behind square on the off-side and through mid-wicket.
Mayanti: "Then came the resistance. Mahela Jayawardene. 74 runs. He looked immovable."
Gavaskar: "He is a surgeon with the bat. Look at this shot."
The screen replayed the late cut off Yuvraj Singh.
Gavaskar: "The ball is almost in Dhoni's gloves, and he plays it. He waits until the last millisecond. This frustrates bowlers because they think they have beaten him, and suddenly it's four runs to third man. He absorbed the pressure. He didn't panic when wickets fell. He just kept stitching the innings back together."
Akram: "And he ran hard. That partnership with Sangakkara... they stole runs. They turned ones into twos. That puts pressure on the fielders. You saw India fumbling a bit in the 30th over? That was because Mahela was pushing them."
Mayanti: "But just as he was threatening to take the score past 300, we had the turning point. The Trap."
The screen turned red. The text "GAME CHANGER" flashed across the monitors.
The footage showed Dhoni whispering to Deva. Then, it showed the sequence of four fast deliveries.
Warne: "I love this. This is captaincy at its best. Dhoni knows Mahela waits on the back foot. He tells Deva, 'Push him back. Scare him.' Deva bowls four thunderbolts. 152, 154, 151, 155. Mahela is now thinking survival. His weight is going back. His trigger movement is fast."
The screen paused on the moment of release for the fifth ball. It zoomed in on Deva's hand.
Akram: "Stop it there. Look at the fingers. He cuts them across the seam. It's an off-cutter, but bowled with a fast-arm action. The deception is absolute."
The video played forward. The ball pitched. It gripped. It stopped. Jayawardene's bat came through too early. The ball looped up.
Gavaskar: "And the catch. Look at Dhoni. He doesn't trust anyone else. He runs twenty yards. He calls 'Mine'. That is leadership. He knew the plan worked, and he wanted to be the one to finish it. That wicket saved India at least 30 runs. If Mahela stays, 274 becomes 310."
The analysis concluded with a graphic showing the required run rate: 5.50 RPO.
Mayanti: "So, the target is 275. 5.5 runs per over. In the modern game, this is par. But in a final, it's a mountain. Let's go down to the pitchside with Ravi Shastri for the pitch report."
The feed cut to the center of the Wankhede. Ravi Shastri stood next to the pitch, which looked hard and abrasive under the lights. He squatted down, pressing his key into the surface.
Shastri: "Thanks, Mayanti. The pitch has held up beautifully. It's a typical Mumbai wicket. Good bounce, the ball is coming onto the bat. But... I'm feeling the grass. It's getting wet. The dew is setting in. This is great news for India. The ball will skid on. It will be hard for Muralitharan to grip the ball. If India navigates the first ten overs of Malinga, the chase is on."
He stood up, looking at the Indian team huddle near the boundary rope.
Shastri: "But the pressure... you can feel it. 275 is a tricky number. It's not so big that you have to slog from ball one, but it's not so small that you can relax. They need a start. Sehwag and Sachin hold the key."
---
The broadcast cut to a pre-recorded segment titled "Pulse of the Nation". A reporter was standing outside the stadium gates during the innings break, interviewing fans who had spilled out for a smoke or a breath of air.
Reporter: "275 to win. Are you nervous?"
Fan 1 (Wearing a turban and face paint): "Nervous? No chance! We have the God! Sachin will score a hundred today! It is written!"
Fan 2 (A young woman with a 'Deva' poster): "Mahela played well, but our batting is stronger. When Deva comes out, the run rate will vanish. We are winning this!"
Fan 3 (An elderly man, looking worried): "It is too many runs. Finals are different. If we lose early wickets... I don't know. My heart is beating very fast."
Back in the studio, Warne laughed. "That old man knows cricket. It's never over until the last ball."
Mayanti: "We are getting live visuals from the dressing room."
The screen showed the Indian dressing room. It was a hive of activity. Sachin Tendulkar was padded up, sitting in his corner, eyes closed, visualizing. Virender Sehwag was whistling, swinging his bat. Siddanth Deva was sitting on the floor, stretching his hamstrings with the physio.
Gavaskar: "Look at the contrast. Sachin is focused. Sehwag is carefree. Deva is recovering. They are three different generations, three different mindsets, united by one goal."