Captain courageous carries the day

India's captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, left, and India's Virat Kohli celebrate winning the Cricket World Cup final match between Sri Lanka and India in Mumbai, India, Saturday, April 2, 2011. – Photo by AP Mahendra Singh Dhoni guided his country to a second World Cup victory as India's players celebrated with cheers, tears, and a lap of honour of Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium with Sachin Tendulkar held aloft like a trophy. India's maestro had earlier failed to perform to Bollywood script with a hundredth hundred in the World Cup Final on his home ground, but a cathartic run chase showed the determination of his team to win it for him. Incidentally, a billion other Indians were quite pleased too. India created history by becoming the first country to win a World Cup on home turf, overcoming the immense expectations of their cricketing public. Dhoni was the man who mastered the pressure of the situation by striding out to bat ahead of Yuvraj Singh when the match was in the balance. With instant authority and a calm aggression he wrenched the World Cup trophy away from Sri Lanka, whose total of 274 made them favourites at the interval. Mahela Jayawaradene had stroked a masterful hundred, but it was to no avail. Sri Lanka's bowlers, in the curious absence of Ajantha Mendis, did not have enough wicket takers to properly threaten India. A second successive World Cup final loss was a bitter pill for the humble and gentlemanly Sri Lankans. When Lasith Malinga silenced Mumbai by dismissing Virender Sehwag and Tendulkar, the stage was set for a farewell masterclass from Muttiah Muralitharan. But he made little impression, a recurring leg injury denying an effective finale. Murali's was not the only goodbye at this World Cup. Pakistan's own limping superstar, Shoaib Akhtar, also hobbles into the sunset. When he first came tearing in at the West Indies in the 1999 tournament, hair flying, arms and legs pumping, Pakistan's next World Cup win did not seem a distant dream. Now it is almost twenty years since Pakistan tasted World Cup glory. This is the first tournament since 1999 that Pakistan have seriously challenged, and with an under-strength team at that. Shahid Afridi's team did, however, play its part in making World Cup 2011 the best competition of this millennium. By defeating Australia they brought that country's impressive unbeaten run since 1999 to an end, allowing India to deliver the knockout blow to the undefeated champions. Australia's demise only served to underline how open this tournament was, and it was the more thrilling for it. All of the top teams had vulnerabilities. The minnows added to the excitement too, with Ireland making a strong case to be elevated to the premier rank of cricketing nations. This was Asia's World Cup as much as it was India's. The three top Asian teams reached the semi-finals, and any one of them was capable of winning it. The crowds in all three host nations were enthusiastic and lit up the tournament. Even banished hosts, Pakistan, mustered vociferous support from Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan supporters. After the Asian embarrassment of 2007, this World Cup brought out the best in the region, even an outbreak of unexpected bonhomie and cricket diplomacy at Mohali. Ultimately, India's batting superiority in home conditions proved decisive. But more impressive was their ability to win the battle of nerves in Mohali and Mumbai. And it was their captain, M.S. Dhoni, who epitomised that composure under duress. The World Cup belongs to India but the victory belongs to Mr Dhoni.