Members of India’s victorious 2011 World Cup campaign, Gautam Gambhir and Ashish Nehra rubbished all the allegations made by the former Sri Lankan captain, Arjuna Ranatunga, regarding the final of the tournament.
India defeated Sri Lanka by 6 wickets after chasing down a competitive total of 274 and lifted the ICC World Cup 2011 trophy.
Gambhir scored 97 and along with then skipper MS Dhoni starred with the bat and helped India to their first World Cup title after 28 years.
Earlier on Friday, Ranatunga posted a video on his Facebook page demanding special inquiry in the final. He thinks that the match was fixed and that India were bound to win the match.
In the video, he said: “I was also in India giving commentaries at the time. When we lost, I was distressed and I had a doubt. We must investigate what happened to Sri Lanka at the 2011 World Cup final. I cannot reveal everything now, but one day I will. There must be an inquiry.”
Gambhir, who top scored for India in the final , opined that Ranatunga should be able to back his allegations with evidence. He told PTI, “I am surprised by Arjuna Ranatunga’s allegations. These are serious comments by a very respectable voice in international cricket. I think to clear the air, he should back his claims with proofs.”
Also, Nehra, an integral member of the squad, said, “I don’t wish to dignify Ranatunga’s comments by airing my views on the issue. There is no end to these kinds of statements. If I question Sri Lanka’s 1996 World Cup victory, is it in good taste? So let’s not get into it. But yes, it is disappointing when someone of his stature says something like this.”
