The sacred sport of cricket has many temples around the world. Still, the Wankhede Stadium evokes a special sanctified aura for the Indian faithful - this is where the Men in Blue won the prestigious ICC ODI World Cup in 2011.

Three World Cup editions over 36 years, and one landmark moment in history later, we rewind the clock to revisit and celebrate the romance of the Wankhede Stadium and its successful hosting of CWC games.

1: India vs Zimbabwe, October 17, 1987 (IND won by eight wickets)

Kapil’s Devils, the defending champions of the ICC ODI World Cup, entered the game having begun their title defence with a defeat to Australia and a comeback victory against New Zealand.

India invited Zimbabwe to bat first, and the combined pace prowess of Chetan Sharma (2/41) and Kapil Dev (2/44) pioneered the hosts to reduce ZIM to 191/7. In reply, half-centuries from Navjot Singh Sidhu (55) and Sunil Gavaskar (50) coupled with unbeaten cameos from Dilip Vengsarkar (33*) and Kapil (41) helped India ace the 192-run chase in 42 overs.

2: India vs England, November 5, 1987 (ENG won by 35 runs)

It was a repeat of the semi-final in the victorious 1983 edition, but the script was written differently this time. Last time, India beat England in England, but now, England beat India in India.

Graham Gooch’s 115 and Mike Gatting’s half-ton (56) helped England navigate past the three-wicket haul of Maninder Singh (3/54) to post 254/6 in the first innings. On the flip side, India was left stumped by the variations of Neil Foster (3/47) and Eddie Hemmings (4/52, including a triple-wicket final over) to finish with just 219.

3: India vs Australia, February 27, 1996 (AUS won by 16 runs)

While India suffered a 16-run defeat at the hands of Australia, this match will be remembered for the fact that the Aussies suffered five run outs in an ODI World Cup innings for the second time in history (first instance: 5 run outs vs West Indies, Lord’s, 1975 World Cup final).

Meanwhile, Steve Waugh’s composed century (126) saw the Aussies notch up 258 on the scoreboard. After early wickets left India reeling at 7/2, Sachin Tendulkar (90) and Sanjay Manjrekar (62) tried to resurrect the chase. But, a five-wicket haul from Damien Fleming (5/36) derailed the hosts’ journey to the finish line, broke a billion Indian hearts, and helped AUS clinch a narrow victory with two overs to spare.

4: New Zealand vs Canada, March 13, 2011 (NZ won by 97 runs)

A tale of two halves is the idiom one could use for Canada’s performance in this fixture, where their spirited effort to post their highest score (261/9) against a Test-playing nation was overshadowed by their earlier visibly lacklustre display in the field, against the carnage of Brendon McCullum (101), Ross Taylor (74) and James Franklin (31* in 8 balls). What more, the performance helped the Kiwis book their spot in the quarter-finals.

5: Sri Lanka vs New Zealand, March 18, 2011 (SL won by 112 runs)

After their impressive showing in the previous game against Canada, the Black Caps failed to replicate the same resolve against the Lankan Lions in their final group stage outing. Kumar Sangakkara led from the front with his 128-ball 111, with support from Mahela Jayawardene (66), to help SL mount an inadvertently match-winning score of 265/9.

The bowlers then ripped the New Zealand batting apart, with Muthiah Muralidaran (4/25) leading the firing squad, bundling them out for a paltry 153 in 35 overs.

6: India vs Sri Lanka, April 2, 2011 (IND won by six wickets)

By far the most iconic ICC ODI World Cup game ever played here. The day when Sachin Tendulkar added the final piece of a puzzle called ‘God of Cricket’; The day when India ended a 28-year wait for ICC silverware; The second host team to win an ODI World Cup on home soil - we can say on behalf of the MI Paltan and Indian cricket fans that these headlines are still fresh in the mind as if it happened just yesterday.

An 88-ball unbeaten 103 from Mahela Jayawardene catapulted Sri Lanka to 274/6. This score meant India took upon a never-seen-before challenge: Become the first team to chase a 250-plus score in a World Cup final. Gautam Gambhir lit the fire of a generational chapter in Indian cricket with his 97-run knock. Captain Cool MS Dhoni confidently took the baton from his trusted soldier in Gambhir and marched forward to turn the tide of the contest in India’s favour.

The moment of reckoning came in the 49th over. Five runs are needed in 12 balls, and MSD stands tall on 85 runs from 78 deliveries at the non-striker’s end. First ball, Yuvraj Singh takes a single to let his captain do the final rites. Second ball, Mahendra Singh Dhoni thrusts all his energy to dispatch the incoming Nuwan Kulasekara delivery into the stands at long-on. He gifts SRT a World Cup; he gifts India its second World Cup trophy; he gifts a billion Indian cricket fans the fulfillment of a lifelong dream.