Sachin's LBW Review — 2011 World Cup Final

The 2011 Cricket World Cup was hosted jointly by India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. For India, it carried unique emotional weight — it was Sachin Tendulkar's sixth and what would prove to be his final World Cup. Tendulkar had waited his entire career for the chance to lift the trophy, and India's campaign was widely seen as one of their strongest ever, with a formidable batting line-up and a home-conditions advantage.

The final was played at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai — Tendulkar's home ground. Over 30,000 fans packed the stands, millions more watched around the world, and the occasion was the most anticipated cricket final in a generation. Sri Lanka, under Mahela Jayawardene, were no pushovers and had qualified on the back of some excellent cricket throughout the tournament.

Sri Lanka batted first and posted 274/6, with Jayawardene scoring a masterful 103*. India's chase began with the enormous weight of national expectation and Tendulkar at the crease alongside Virender Sehwag, setting the stage for one of cricket's most emotionally charged dismissal controversies.

India's chase began shakily. Virender Sehwag was dismissed cheaply by Lasith Malinga, who was the key threat in Sri Lanka's attack. Malinga's low slingy action and ability to generate reverse swing at pace made him dangerous on any surface. The early wicket set the stage for Tendulkar to anchor the innings.

Tendulkar played with characteristic authority for a time, but the Sri Lankan bowlers kept probing. The LBW dismissal came off a Malinga delivery that was the subject of instant and sustained controversy — not because of any DRS review process, but because replays immediately showed the ball had pitched outside leg stump.

In the pre-DRS era for World Cup finals at that point, there was no way for Tendulkar to challenge the decision. He had to walk off the ground of his dreams with 18 runs against his name, leaving a nation holding its breath and wondering whether the match had tilted away from India before it had properly begun.

In the 2011 World Cup Final at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, Sachin Tendulkar was given out LBW by the on-field umpire. However, Tendulkar immediately reviewed the decision using DRS.

Ball tracking showed the delivery was just clipping the off stump — but with less than half the ball hitting, it was ruled "umpire's call." Since the on-field decision was out, the appeal was upheld. Wait — in this case, because the review showed it was umpire's call and the on-field decision was out, Tendulkar was still given out.

Sri Lanka celebrated, but Tendulkar had actually been dismissed for 18. The DRS controversy here was about whether the technology was precise enough to make such calls in the biggest match. Indian fans were left wondering if the system had denied Tendulkar a fairy-tale ending in his home city.

Fortunately for India, Gautam Gambhir (97) and MS Dhoni (91*) led the chase, and India won the World Cup. But Tendulkar's dismissal via the margins of DRS technology remained a talking point.

“The ball clearly pitched outside leg. There is no doubt about it — he should not have been given out. These are the decisions that can change World Cup finals.”

“We didn't think about that. Once Sachin was out, we just focused on winning the game for him — for everyone.”

“Dhoni is the best finisher in the world. He knew what he was doing when he promoted himself. We just had to trust the process.”

“The ICC must introduce DRS for all ICC events without exception. We cannot have a World Cup Final decided by a decision technology could instantly correct.”

The aftermath of Tendulkar's dismissal played out across two distinct timescales. In the immediate moment, India's dressing room had to refocus — two top-order wickets had fallen cheaply and the chase was under pressure. The responsibility fell to Gambhir and Kohli, and when Kohli fell too, it was Gambhir and eventually Dhoni who steadied the ship.

India won the World Cup by six wickets with ten balls remaining, and the scenes at Wankhede were extraordinary. Tendulkar was carried around the ground on teammates' shoulders — a moment of pure sporting joy. But the LBW controversy persisted in post-match analysis. Several respected former cricketers pointed out that the ball had clearly pitched outside leg stump and that any DRS system would have overturned the decision.

The dismissal became emblematic of the DRS debate: why were World Cup finals not always equipped with the full range of technology? The ICC's inconsistent rollout of DRS across different formats and tournaments was widely criticized, and this moment was held up as the clearest possible example of why the technology was needed at every level.