Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir has broken his silence on India’s shambolic loss to New Zealand in the ICC T20 World Cup. India lost back to back games against Pakistan and New Zealand and never looked dominating any phase of the game in these two matches. They now have three games to go in the tournament with their next game against Afghanistan on November 3.
Meanwhile, Gautam Gambhir felt that India lack the mental strength to turn up and win must-win games. India needed to beat the Kiwis after going down against Pakistan top stay in the contest. However as it turned out, The Kiwis dominated the Indians in the game.
The much-famed batting line-up India scored 110/7 after being put into bat first. New Zealand achieved the target inside 15 overs and also boosted their net run-rate.
Speaking to ESPN Cricinfo, Gautam Gambhir said that India play well in bilateral tournaments but lack the mental toughness when it comes to playing must-win games in ICC tournaments.
“Yes talent is one thing, you’ve got all the skills and do really well in bilaterals and stuff. But when it comes to these kind of games and tournaments, this is when you have got to stand up and perform.
“This game was literally like a quarterfinal. The problem is with the mental toughness of the side. Suddenly when you know you have got to win the game and can’t make mistakes, in bilaterals it’s different because you can make mistakes there. But in these kind of games, I don’t think India has got that mental strength.
This Game Was Like A Quarter-Final: Gautam Gambhir
“They have the skill and are a very dangerous side. But unfortunately, we can keep talking about it that we need to stand by our team when its not doing well but it’s been a trend and its been happening for a very long time in most of these ICC tournaments, whether its the semifinals or the game today as well. When it mattered the most for someone to put his hand up, they just couldn’t,” Gambhir said on ESPNCricinfo.
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