Why Dhoni batted before Yuvraj Singh in the 2011 World Cup? Here's the answer!

Many years later, former India mental health adviser Paddy Upton revealed the real reason behind pcking Dhoni instead of Yuvraj Singh in the World Cup final.

The 2011 World Cup final for the ODI series was played. India and Sri Lanka clashed in a match at the Mumbai Stadium. Batting first, Sri Lanka set a target of 275 for victory.

This was followed by a slip-up in the Indian batting line-up, with Sachin and Sehwag leading the way. Virat Kohli, who was on the field at the time, played aggressively and raised the score. Suddenly Virat Kohli was also out. Following this, Yuvraj Singh was expected to bat but Dhoni entered the field with a bat.

Dhoni, who formed an alliance with Gautam Gambhir, played better. Gautam Gambhir was out for 97 and Dhoni was joined by Yuvraj Singh. Dhoni, who scored 91 in the match, remained unbeaten till the last to help India win the match. Thus, 28 years later, the Indian team won the World Cup and set a historic record.

Many questions arose as to why Dhoni batted before Yuvraj Singh. Because Yuvraj Singh was showing amazing play throughout that World Cup series. But Dhoni did not accumulate big runs in any of the matches.

Paddy Upton, then the mental health advisor of the Indian team, informed about this situation. In it, “…He (MS Dhoni) would do what he does best, which is leading a side to victory in a white-ball chase in the second innings. In the eight games leading up to the final, he had not produced. Yuvraj had played his tournament and done his part. He’d had enough, and he’d expended all of his energy. Someone like Dhoni had been waiting for that time. There are only a few really “giant high-pressure” players in the world. Dhoni is one among them, but Yuvraj Singh is not.”