Mumbai: Aravinda de Silva, the chief selector of the Sri Lankan team, was at the match yesterday.
He is the man who showed the Sri Lankans how to win a World Cup with his spectacular unbeaten 107, three wickets and two catches against Australia in the 1996 final at Lahore.
The memory of that match lives in the minds of everyone who witnessed it, and has inspired the present team.
De Silva went close to the Wankhede wicket along with Kumar Sangakkara to have a good look before the start.
Known for his shrewd cricketing brain, de Silva was the vice captain of the 1996 World Cup team and his knock helped beat Australia by seven wickets in the final.
Was it his cricketing knowledge that has helped Sri Lanka put up such a good show in the World Cup and reach the final? De Silva refused to take the credit.
"I got a lot of input from the players or else I could not have picked the right people for the team," he said. "My advice to the team was to not think about the result but go out and enjoy the game."
The chief selector's big asset is his confidence in his players.
"I believe my players are mature cricketers. All that I can do is to give some tips on how we played in the final in 1996 and won it," he said.
Sri Lankan legend
That's exactly what the players too expect from de Silva, who is considered one of the legends of Sri Lankan cricket.
What is the most important secret to success?
"Self belief," he said. "The feeling that I can beat any opposition is very important. That was what I did during the semi-final and final of the 1996 final. It gives a lot of confidence."
De Silva did not seem too concerned about the result.
"As far as I am concerned, the team has done well. We have beaten top teams," he said.
But he did admit that it has been a tough role he has been playing as chairman of selectors.
He had to drop some of his senior colleagues like Sanath Jayasuriya, and, on Friday evening, Chaminda Vaas.
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