There was one person in the Sri Lankan dressing room, who despite helping Kumar Sangakkara’s team, wanted India to win the coveted  World Cup—Mumbai Cricket Association’s (MCA) ex-managing committee member, Shrikant Tigdi, the liaison officer for the visiting team.  

“Even though I was performing my duties for the Sri Lankan team during the final, I was with the Indian team mentally. When India lost three early wickets, I left my seat in the dressing room and stood in a passage. I did not watch the game for 15 to 20 minutes. I was actually praying for Gautam Gambhir and MS Dhoni to build a strong partnership, which they eventually did [109 runs in 120 balls],” Tigdi told mid-day on the eve of the 10th anniversary of India’s World Cup win.