If the jam-packed Wankhede Stadium crowd stood up in unison when India skipper MS Dhoni lofted Nuwan Kulasekara for a six to clinch the World Cup on this day in 2011, there was another person, seated just below the Indian team dressing room, thrilled to bits.

That India lifted the prized trophy again after 28 years, was not the only reason for being jubilant. Fifteen months of non-stop work, slogging for over 12 hours daily on the ground yielded rich rewards for Wankhede Stadium curator Sudhir Naik and his ground staff. The moment only got sweeter with the Men in Blue’s triumph.