Former Sri Lanka skipper Kumar Sangakkara recently opened up the 2011 World Cup final toss controversy against India at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Explaining the same, the former cricketer said that MS Dhoni suggested for another toss of the coin.
It was a jam-packed stadium at Wankhede where fans from the length and breadth of the country came down to support their team. The high-profile witness two spin of the coins after confusion prevailed over the first one. Eventually, Sri Lanka won the toss and opted to bat first.
MS Dhoni didn’t hear my call: Kumar Sangakkara
Speaking on the same during a recent chat with Ravichandran Ashwin, Kumar Sangakkara revealed that MS Dhoni missed his call at the toss and suggested for another one. The elegant-looking batsman also shared an anecdote from a game at Eden Gardens where he couldn’t hear what his first slip was saying due to loud noise.
“It was a case of, I think it was the crowd. The crowd was huge, it never happens in Sri Lanka. It only happens in India to me, once at the Eden Gardens when I couldn’t hear myself talk to the first slip and then of course at the Wankhede,” Sangakkara explained.
“I remember calling on the toss, and then Mahi (Dhoni) wasn’t sure what I had called. He said “did you call tail”, I said, “no, I called heads”. The match referee actually said I won the toss, and Mahi said ‘no he didn’t’. So there was a little bit of confusion there and then Mahi said let’s have another toss of the coin.
“That’s when the second one went up and it came down heads again, so luckily… I’m not sure whether it was luckily that I won because probably if I had lost, it may have been that India might have batted,” Sangakkara added.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka had posted 274 for six, with Mahela Jayawardene scoring a century. India chased it down with six wickets in hand with MS Dhoni (91*) and Gautam Gambhir (97) starring for the hosts. The then India skipper finished off the proceedings with a towering six to end India’s barren run.
