Back to the subcontinent
The tenth World Cup was awarded to four hosts and staged by three. In April 2009 the ICC removed Pakistan's share of the matches, citing the security situation after the attack on the Sri Lanka team in Lahore, and the fixtures went to India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh instead. Bangladesh staged World Cup cricket for the first time. The format was a correction of 2007: two groups of seven, six matches guaranteed to everyone, and no realistic chance of a major side going home in the opening week. It made for a long and often slack group stage.
Two nights at the Chinnaswamy
It also produced the two best matches of the tournament, at the same ground within four days. On 27 February India made 338 in Bangalore, Sachin Tendulkar scoring 120 and Tim Bresnan taking five for 48. Andrew Strauss answered with 158 and England finished on 338 for 8. Tied.
Three days later England set Ireland 328 on the same square. Kevin O'Brien came in and made 113 from 63 balls, the fastest hundred scored in a World Cup, and Ireland got there with five balls to spare. It was the largest run chase completed at a World Cup at the time, and it was done by a side that would not be granted Test status for another six years.
Ahmedabad, Mohali, Mumbai
India's route to the trophy went through the three sides they most needed to beat. In the quarter-final at Ahmedabad they chased down Australia's 260 and ended a hold on the trophy that had lasted three tournaments. In Mohali they met Pakistan in a semi-final watched by both prime ministers, with private aircraft filling the local airport and tickets changing hands for ten times their face value. Tendulkar made 85, Wahab Riaz took five for 46, and India defended 260 for 9.
The final at the Wankhede opened with a toss that had to be taken twice because Jeff Crowe could not hear Kumar Sangakkara's call over the noise. Mahela Jayawardene made 103 not out from 88 balls and Sri Lanka posted 274 for 6. India lost Virender Sehwag to the second ball of the chase and Tendulkar shortly after. Gautam Gambhir made 97. Dhoni, who had promoted himself above Yuvraj Singh, finished on 91 not out, and the two added 109. India won with ten balls in hand.
Afterwards
No host had won a World Cup final at home before. Sri Lanka took the 1996 title as co-hosts, but that final was played in Lahore. Yuvraj Singh was named player of the tournament. Tendulkar, in his sixth World Cup and his last, finally had the medal, and was carried around the ground by a side half of whom had grown up watching him fail to get one.