In stark contrast to his consistent stance against hero worship in Indian cricket, Gautam Gambhir faced online ridicule after fans discovered his comment about MS Dhoni’s World Cup-winning six, which contradicted his long-held views.
Over the years, Gambhir has frequently criticized the obsession with top stars like Dhoni and Virat Kohli during interviews and on the anniversaries of India’s 2011 World Cup victory.
He pointed out that this hero worship trend dates back to India’s maiden World Cup win in 1983 with Kapil Dev and extended to the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 ODI World Cup, where Dhoni remained the focal point of celebration.
Gautam Gambhir Said: “If you keep talking about one person day in and day out, it eventually becomes a brand. That is how it was in 1983. Why start from Dhoni? It started in 1983. When India won the first World Cup, it was all about Kapil Dev. When we won in 2007 and 2011, it was Dhoni. Who created that? None of the players did. Nor did the BCCI. Have the news channels and broadcasters ever spoken about Indian cricket?”
Gautam Gambhir speaks on winning run đź¤đź¤#INDvsPAK #AsiaCup2023 #INDvPAKpic.twitter.com/6BEgul09J2
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Three months ago, during an interview with News 18, he was asked the same question and highlighted the often-overlooked impact of Yuvraj Singh on India’s World Cup victories in 2007 and 2011. While he didn’t mention Dhoni by name on this occasion, he expressed the view that an individual and their PR team had been credited as the hero of those two trophy wins, but in reality, it was Yuvraj’s all-round contributions that played a crucial role in India reaching the finals of both tournaments.
He further adds:
“It’s unfortunate that when we talk about the 2007 and 2011 World Cups, we don’t take Yuvraj Singh’s name. Why not? It’s only and only marketing and PR and portraying one individual as the biggest and everyone else as smaller than him,” he had said. “We have been told who won us the 2007 and 2011 World Cups [but] it was not one individual it was the entire team. No one individual can win a big tournament. If that was the case, India would’ve had 5-10 World Cups.”
Despite consistently pointing out this perspective, Gambhir’s remarks have never been well-received by Dhoni’s fans, who have criticized him whenever he brings up the topic. Consequently, when he commented on India’s victory against Pakistan in a group game during the 2023 Asia Cup broadcast from the Pallekele International Stadium, Dhoni’s supporters quickly accused him of ‘hypocrisy.’
In the high-pressure chase of 268 runs in Dambulla, India lost Virender Sehwag and Virat Kohli early in the innings before Gambhir partnered with Dhoni to revive the team with their 102-run partnership, both scoring fifties. Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina provided some support from the middle-order before the match came down to the final over, during which Harbhajan Singh smashed a six off the penultimate ball against Mohammad Amir to secure India’s three-wicket victory.”
When the live TV broadcast displayed the scorecard of the thrilling 2010 match, Gambhir received praise for his impressive 83-run performance, earning him the Player of the Match award. However, the experienced opener graciously redirected the attention to Harbhajan, highlighting that Harbhajan’s winning run was more significant than his own performance or his partnership with Dhoni.
He continues:
“Jitaya maine nehi, jitaya Harbhajan Singh ne tha. Meri aur Dhoni ke beech sajidari zarur huyi thi but mera manna hain ki jo aankhri run banata hain wohi jitata hain (I did not win that match for India. It was Harbhajan. Yes I did get a partnership with Dhoni but I believe that the batter who scores the winning run actually clinches victory for the team)
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