Greatest ODI innings by Indian batsmen post-2000 that wasn't a century

#5 Gautam Gambhir's 97 and MS Dhoni's 91* vs Sri Lanka

The partnership between Gambhir and Dhoni was crucial in ensuring the triumph of the men in blue

Undoubtedly one of the greatest ever victories in Indian Cricket history, the triumph in the 2011 World Cup final was made possible by two sensational innings that did not breach the three-figure mark. Gautam Gambhir's 97 and MS Dhoni's 91 were responsible for team India emulating the feat of Kapil's devils 28 years ago.

Earlier in the day, Sri Lanka batted first and posed a competitive 274, largely thanks to Jayawardene's brilliant 103 of just 88 deliveries. It would be the last World Cup for two great servants of the game, Sachin Tendulkar and Muttiah Muralitharan and both teams were obliged to give a fitting farewell to their legends.

India got off to the worst possible start as Lasith Malinga removed both openers Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag early, with the latter falling for a duck in the first over. As the Indians were reduced to 31 for 2, Gautam Gambhir along with Virat Kohli built on a strong and steady partnership of 83 runs. Once Kohli fell, Dhoni surprised one and all by promoting himself up the order ahead of the in-form Yuvraj Singh.

Both the batsman played their shots and helped their team inch closer towards glory. They ran hard and managed to squeeze in singles and couples at regular intervals, which put a lot of pressure on the Lankan fielders. They also managed to score boundaries whenever needed. Gambhir eventually fell to a loose shot 3 short of what would have been a memorable century, but Dhoni stamped his authority at the other end and stayed unbeaten till the end, finishing the game in trademark style by hitting a six and thus helping India clinch its second World Cup trophy.