Current Indian Team Lacks Self-Belief In Crucial Games: Gautam Gambhir

Former Indian batsman Gautam Gambhir has opened up on India’s inability to capture any ICC title despite starting as favourites plenty of times. As a matter of fact, none can judge better than Gautam Gambhir, who played an innings of 97 under pressure to lead India to their second World Cup title in 2011. And similarly top-scored in India’s 2007 T20 World Cup triumph.

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The men in blue’s woes have enhanced in the knockout stages of the ICC tournaments in the past few editions. The last time they captured an ICC title was back in 2013 and since then they’ve fallen one or two steps behind. The latest one in 2019 also ended in a heartbreaking loss to New Zealand in the semi-final in Manchester.

Gambhir feels that the difference between a good and an outstanding player gets judged between how they perform in crucial games. Unlike other teams, the retired batsman thinks that the Indian side haven’t been able to handle the pressure. He went on to say that the national team have performed exceptionally well in group games but not standing up to the challenge in knockout games is due to the lack of mental toughness.

“What sets you apart from being a good player to being a very very good player in a team is what you do on those crucial games. I think probably we have not been able to handle the pressure, probably other teams have been able to handle the pressure that way. If you look at all the semi-finals and finals, it just shows when playing really well in the league stage and you don’t play well in the semi-finals or knockouts, it’s probably your mental toughness as well.” Gambhir said as quoted by Times of India.

“It’s just your ability in those crunch situations” : Gautam Gambhir

The cricketer-turned-politician continued by saying that a team can have all their bases covered; however, unless they prove it on the field, they would never be called world champions. Gautam Gambhir believes is all about displaying the talent in crunch situations.

“We can keep talking that we’ve got everything, we have the ability to be the world champions, but till the time you don’t go on the cricket field and prove that, you will never be called the world champions. So it’s just your ability in those crunch situations.

“I’ve always said this, in bilaterals and league stages you have got probably a chance to make the mistake, come to the knockout stages, you don’t have a chance to make a mistake, you make a mistake and you’re going back home. So that’s where beliefs come into play and that where India lacks in all those crucial games.” the 38-year old stated further.

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