Gautam Gambhir attacks Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli: 'Milestone obsession cost India trophies'

Gautam Gambhir’s view on ‘personal milestone’ went viral, adding a layer of controversy amid the T20 World Cup 2026 trophy-winning celebration. The Team India head coach claimed that in the last one to two years, not a single player has played only for individual achievements over the team’s interest.

The former cricketer did not mention any specific name, but a few cricket fans assumed that the comments were directed at the former captain Virat Kohli, who retired from the T20 International format and the Test.

Did Gautam Gambhir launch an attack on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma?

In a recent interview with Dainik Jagran, Gautam Gambhir was asked to clarify his philosophy on the ‘personal milestone’. In response, the 44-year-old claimed that there is no one in the T20I team who goes into the field only to create personal milestones in the last couple of years.

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“I don’t think there is a single player in this T20 team who has played for milestones in the last year and a half to two years. If they had, many players would probably have scored centuries and even more runs than they currently have. You can see how they bat even when they are close to a milestone”, Gambhir explained how the players are shaped to perform.

In our country, milestones have been celebrated for a very long time—that is exactly why it takes us so long to win trophies - Gautam Gambhir

For example, he mentioned Ishan Kishan, who slammed a century in Thiruvananthapuram by hitting a six. Gambhir-led Indian team management is purely looking at the intention. Because he believed the team’s success is more important than personal achievements.

“When Ishan Kishan scored his 100 in Thiruvananthapuram, he did it by hitting a six. You can look at anyone. I said in the press conference that how you play those three or four balls when you are near a milestone determines whether or not you will win big tournaments. This is because if you take three balls just to reach 100 runs in a situation where you could have hit sixes, you are essentially depriving the team of 15 runs”, Gambhir said.

“Those 15 runs often become the difference between victory and defeat. I believe winning the game for the team should be more important than any milestone. That must remain our focus. We don’t even want to talk about milestones in the dressing room. Our agenda is simple: how much impact can we create on every single ball? We should play with that mindset. In our country, milestones have been celebrated for a very long time—that is exactly why it takes us so long to win trophies”, he added.

What did the coach say in the press conference after claiming the T20 World Cup 2026 title?

In the press conference, after the India vs New Zealand T20 World Cup 2026 Final, the coach expressed the same.

“If you are batting at 96 and you are trying to hit a six on the next ball, if you get out of it, then there is no difference. But if you take 4 singles in the next 4 counts, then you can never reach up to 250, 250, 300, 300”, Gautam Gambhir said in the press conference.

Read More: Gautam Gambhir drops big update on India’s 2027 World Cup plans