'When India won, I felt like I had lifted the World Cup'
Prithvi Shaw, Ajinkya Rahane, Vijay Shankar, Shivam Dube, Rahul Tewatia, Abhimanyu Easwaran and Shivam Mavi on their memories of watching the 2011 World Cup as young cricket fans
Prithvi Shaw
21, India and Mumbai batsmanI was 11 or 12 and I was at the Wankhede for the final, sitting right next to the players and watching and cheering with Arjun and Sara and Anjali aunty [Sachin Tendulkar's children and wife].
Vijay Shankar
30, Tamil Nadu and India allrounderI was 20 and was watching the 2011 World Cup final at home. My family is so crazy about cricket that they don't miss any match, but I watched it in my room by myself. At the time I was making a mark in first-class cricket, so I followed that World Cup closely. I have this habit of watching matches alone when I am home because then I can learn things and grasp more.
Shivam Mavi
22, Uttar Pradesh fast bowlerI was around 12 then and I watched every match of the tournament. It was such a big deal for the Indian team. In fact, while watching I felt like I was playing myself! It was really fun to watch it with my family. And when India won, I really felt like I had lifted the World Cup. My family was like, "Wow, we won the World Cup!" I had goosebumps. If I had to pick one player from that India team who inspired my career, it would be Zaheer Khan. He picked up wickets in tough situations and helped in the victories. I always remember that.
Ajinkya Rahane
32, India batsmanI was 22 and I remember watching the World Cup final in Jaipur while getting ready for that year's IPL. That was a memorable day for all Indians. Apart from Dhoni and Gambhir's match-winning knocks in the final, Tendulkar's hundred against England is one of the many performances that stood out for me. I was practising when India won the World Cup, so that's how I celebrated. It was the biggest victory in the 50-over format after 1983 and I think many youngsters in India were inspired because of that.
Abhimanyu Easwaran
25, India A batsman and Bengal captainApril 2 is always memorable because it also happens to be my mother's birthday. I was 15 years old and I remember sitting next to her, following the final at our home in Dehradun. Like everyone else, we did not move and remained sitting in our places, especially during the partnership between Gambhir and Dhoni, which was really important for us to win the game. My mother didn't know much about cricket at first and was a little wary of me going out and playing, but now she loves cricket and is a fan of the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL.
Shivam Dube
27, Mumbai and India allrounderI was 17 and was watching the final at a friend's place. MS Dhoni's winning shot will always stay with me. I cannot forget it. [After the final] we roamed the streets of Mumbai. Our car was meant for only five passengers, but nearly a dozen of us squeezed in and celebrated India's win.
Rahul Tewatia
27, Haryana allrounderI was 17. I watched the final with my family at home. What I remember most is the innings from Gautam bhaiya [Gambhir] and obviously the last-ball six from Mahi bhai [Dhoni]. After that six, the whole family erupted in joy and started dancing. My dad ordered jalebis and then we went out onto the streets to continue with the celebrations.
Nagraj Gollapudi is news editor and Rajan Raj is an Associate sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo