This day, that year: When MS Dhoni finished off in style to help India win World Cup after 28 years — WATCH

Courtesy: Twitter (@BCCI)

New Delhi: It's still regarded as one of the most iconic moments in Indian sports.

India, already the global superpower in cricket thanks to an unrivaled fan base and the obscene amount of fan-money which gets pumped into global platform, needed a moment to vindicate that they are indeed that power that every other nation needed to acknowledge.

But such profundity doesn't come without titles. A world cup title would do just that. Unluckily for India, their superstar cricketers have not won it for more than a quarter of a century. In fact, the heartache of losing the 2003 final to Australia still reminded majority of Indian fans the fraught relationship they have had with their favourite players.

Then came 2011, with a certain Mahendra Singh Dhoni already leading a strong Indian team which, as they say, was a perfect combination of youthfull exuberance and the wisdom of experience.

The team had legends Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan, and also the likes of Yuvraj Singh, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina – all ready to make their own paths. And making sure they click as an unit was Dhoni, possibly India's greatest captain ever.

But on that fateful day, on April 2 in 2011, Dhoni himself was to make a statement. Already regarded as the best finisher in the game, the Ranchi man promoted himself and got the job done. He immortalized himself by hitting that winning run – not a single, not a double, or not even a boundary... but a huge six in Wankhede Stadium, which was packed to capacity.

It was India's first World Cup title in 28 years, after Kapil Dev famously led India to it's first crown in 1983.

After the match, Dhoni said that he "took a quite few decisions" in the night.

"If we hadn't won I would have been asked quite a few questions: Why no Ashwin, Why sreesanth. Why no Yuvraj, Why did I bat ahead?! That pushed me and motivated to do well," he added.

Here's what happened that night.

#ThisDayThatYear - In 2011, “Dhoni finishes off in style. India lift the World Cup after 28 years” - in @RaviShastriOfc's immortal voice pic.twitter.com/Q61sLx10VA

— BCCI (@BCCI) April 2, 2017

After losing the toss, India needed 275 runs to win the title. But, India lost mercurial Sehwag in the first over itself, then Tendulkar – in his last big match – walked back after scoring 18 runs, in the seventh over.

With two batting greats already back in the hut, India relied on Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli, who posted a 83-run stand to steady the Indian boat in turbulent Mumbai weather.

It was followed by a 109-run stand between Gambhir and Dhoni, before the skipper and Yuvarj finished off things.

But the crowning moment in that victorious night was Dhoni's six off Nuwan Kulasekara in the penultimate over, a moment which was immortalized and captured live in every Indian fan's memory.