Gautam Gambhir, the former Indian batsman, holds the view that he was unjustly excluded from the Indian squad for the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies. He felt that his chance to participate in a World Cup was shattered back then.
However, Gambhir received another chance and made a significant contribution to India’s victory in the 2011 World Cup held at home. His remarkable 97 runs in the final remains one of the most memorable performances in World Cup history. In an interview with RevSportz, Gautam Gambhir shared his thoughts on his victory in the solitary 50-over World Cup he participated in:
“The 2011 World Cup win was the most important win of my career. I had missed out on playing the 2007 World Cup, and I still feel it was wrong that I was left out. I still don’t know why I was left out despite doing well, and the 2011 World Cup was the only 50-over World Cup that I played. So I have the unique distinction of winning the only 50-over World Cup that I participated in.”
Gautam Gambhir’s stance on whether he feels his 97 runs are underrated
The 2011 World Cup final is primarily recalled for MS Dhoni’s final-ball six and the victory moment, prompting the question of Gautam Gambhir if he believes his role went unnoticed. Regarding this, Gambhir discussed how social media highlights individuals, whereas it’s the collective effort of the team that secures World Cup victories. He stated:
“Whenever I have picked my bat to play for my country, I have never thought about taking credit or seeing who’s speaking about me. I have always tried to make millions of Indians proud. It’s not just about me, tell me how many people talk about Yuvraj Singh? About that opening spell from Zaheer Khan?”
“It is a narrative set by social media where you’re obsessed with individuals so much that you don’t care what the team has done. No individual can win the World Cup.”
Although Gambhir registered the highest score for India with 97 runs, Dhoni’s unbeaten 91 earned him the Player of the Match recognition in the final.
Get the latest cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.
