"Let the boys play"- Gautam Gambhir fires shots at MS Dhoni over World Cup ads

Former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir took a sly at the MS Dhoni over his World Cup advertisements ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024. He stated that winning the tournament matters a lot and people shouldn’t pay much heed to the ads and let the players play freely.

The T20 World Cup 2024 is around the corner and it will be another opportunity for the Indian Cricket Team to end their title drought. They are yet to win the ICC title since the 2013 Champions Trophy and with another event approach, they would be desperate for the win.

India had a great chance of winning the title during the ICC World Cup 2023. The tournament was played in India and the hosts played like champions throughout. They won 10 games on the trot and looked favorites to win the title. But to their disappointment, they lost against Australia in the final.

With the T20 World Cup 2024 now around the corner, Gautam Gambhir collaborated with a biscuit-making company named Britannia. He shared a promotional tweet on his Twitter account but what caught the attention of many was the ad hinted towards MS Dhoni, who did a campaign ahead of the World Cup 2024.

The Britannia’s Ad reflected two disappointed Indian fans, who were left heartbroken after India’s loss against Australia in the final of World Cup 2023. While expressing their disappointment, they said that no advertisements should be played, and the focus should be entirely on the Indian stars playing the game.

Reacting to the Ad, Gautam Gambhir stated: “Having played the World Cup and won it, I know the pressure and I know the jubilation too. 140 crore Indians hold their breath…and all that matters is winning the World Cup!!! So, guys don’t bring in any more twists. Don’t let the Ad play. Just let the boys play.”

Having played the World Cup and won it, I know the pressure and I know the jubilation too. 140 crore Indians hold their breath…and all that matters is winning the World Cup!!! So, guys don't bring in any more twist. Don't let the Ad play. Just let the boys play. 🙏…

— Gautam Gambhir (Modi Ka Parivar) (@GautamGambhir) March 22, 2024

This was a subtle dig at MS Dhoni, who has been involved with the Oreo company for the last few years. The keeper-batter during the T20 World Cup 2022 was a part of the Ad in which he pointed out the correlation between the 2011 World Cup and the T20 World Cup 2022. He cited that Oreo was launched in 2011 India won and with Biscuit getting launched again in 2022, the team would win again.

However, that wasn’t the case as India suffered a thrashing loss against England in the semi-final. The Oreo company then came with another MS Dhoni starter Ad with the tagline “matt bol”, which meant to shun the outside noises and not make any predictions ahead of the World Cup 2023. But this too didn’t work as India lost.

Gautam Gambhir to mentor Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL 2024

Gautam Gambhir will be part of his old franchise Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL 2024. He was roped in as a mentor of the team and has already started training the boys. On joining the team for the tournament, he had stated:

“KKR is not a franchise, it’s an emotion for me. I hope I live up to the expectation, and I am sure we’ll try and make Kolkata proud and that’s what we are going to do.”

Gautam Gambhir has been an incredible servant for the KKR. He is still the team’s highest run-getter with 3345 runs from 122 matches at an average of 31.26. He also holds the record for the most consecutive wins by any team. Under him, KKR won 9 straight games in 2014 and then later won the title.