Former India opener Gautam Gambhir believes that winning an ICC trophy should never be the benchmark for judging any team, rather the consistency of winning overseas can be a factor.
Gambhir on Winning ICC trophy
Gambhir pointed out that India won the 2011 World Cup but, after that, the team suffered a humiliating defeat on overseas tours of England and Australia in the same year.
India may not have tasted success in an International Cricket Council (ICC) tournament since they won the Champions Trophy in 2013, but they have registered historic series win twice in Australia while also reaching the inaugural finale of the ICC World Test Championship.
Gambhir quoted New Zealand’s example, saying they have never won an ICC trophy but are still a fabulous and great team.
Watch India vs Sri Lanka 2011 WC Finals
“You can’t judge a side by just winning an ICC trophy and the reason is we won the World Cup in 2011 and in the same year we got thrashed in England, we got thrashed in Australia so winning an ICC trophy is not a benchmark for being a good or a bad side. New Zealand has never won an ICC trophy, they are still a fabulous team,” Gautam Gambhir told Sports Today.
“Just by judging the team that hasn’t won an ICC trophy or has won an ICC trophy should never be the benchmark. It’s about consistency whether we can go overseas, dominate the opposition, try and win convincingly and be a consistent side,” Gambhir added.
“When I was growing up I always wanted to be part of the World Cup-winning team. I was very fortunate that I was part of two World Cup-winning teams. There are people who have achieved some great things for India cricket have not been part of those World Cup-winning teams, and you practice for years and years for these moments,” Gambhir further said.
Gautam Gambhir praises the 2011 WC winning team
Gambhir further put focus on the performances of Zaheer Khan, Yuvraj Singh, Sachin Tendulkar etc. To those labelling the MS Dhoni six as the ‘one that won India the World Cup’, Gambhir said that Yuvraj Singh would’ve won ‘six World Cups’ (for hitting six sixes against England in a single over at the 2007 T20 World Cup).
Can you forget Zaheer Khan’s contribution? His first spell in the final, where he bowled three successive maidens? Can you forget what Yuvraj Singh did against Australia? Or for that matter, Sachin Tendulkar’s hundred against South Africa? Why do we keep remembering about one-six?.
If one six can win you the World Cup, then I think Yuvraj Singh should have won six World Cups for India, because he hit six sixes in an over (against England in 2007 World T20 at Durban). No one talks about Yuvraj. He was the ‘Man of the Tournament’ in 2007 (officially, Shahid Afridi was) & the 2011 World Cups. And we keep talking about that one six.”
Gambhir himself played a huge role in the team’s triumph at the final. The opening batsman scored 97 and stitched an important century partnership with Dhoni. There are fans who reckon his knock in the final as the ‘most memorable’, Gambhir said that the fact that people come up to him and say ‘thank you for the World Cup’, is his biggest achievement.
