"Doesn't matter whether we win against Pakistan or not" - Gautam Gambhir believes World Cup trophy is most important for Indian cricket
Gautam Gambhir reckons that winning against Pakistan in ICC events should not be Team India's biggest priority. He opined that the victory doesn't matter if the Men in Blue ultimately fail to clinch the silverware.
Gambhir pointed out that India secured a victory over Pakistan at the 2023 World Cup, but the event will only be remembered for Australia's championship triumph.
During an appearance on ANI's podcast, Gambhir explained:
"Winning against Pakistan is important; winning against any other side is important; but winning the World Cup is even more important. How many people remember what happened on the 14th of October this year? No one remembers. Everyone remembers that Australia won the World Cup. That is the truth."
"People don't accept that; that's their problem. The reality is, yes, you win against Pakistan; Pakistan is a stepping stone towards winning the World Cup. But for us, as a sportsman, as a nation, and as people sitting in that dressing room, it doesn't matter whether we win against Pakistan or not. All that matters is that we have to go on to win the World Cup because that is going to give a lot of happy memories to the nation," he added.
Recalling the 2007 T20 World Cup final clash between arch-rivals India and Pakistan, Gautam Gambhir mentioned that he had a lot of self-belief going into the fixture. He stated that he was confident that India had a great chance to win until he was at the crease.
"I remember shutting down everything. I was very clear about one thing: till the time that I am there, India is going to be pretty much safe. That is the belief I always had. If you don't have that belief, you might as well should not be picked to play for the country. Because you are not only playing for your country, you are representing 140 crore Indians. If you do not have the belief to represent 140 crore Indians, you have no right to be sitting in that dressing room," he added.
Gambhir was one of the key architects in India's five-run win over Pakistan in the final of the inaugural T20 World Cup. The southpaw was the top run-getter in the summit clash, contributing
"If I had not scored runs in that game, I would have been dropped after that" - Gautam Gambhir picks the turning point of his career
Gautam Gambhir also spoke about the pressure he had to deal with after bagging a duck in India's group-stage match against Pakistan at the 207 T20 World Cup in South Africa.
He suggested that he would have lost his place in the playing XI had he failed in the subsequent encounter against New Zealand. The left-handed batter delivered, scoring 51 off 33 balls.
Sharing details of what was going through his mind during the crucial contest, Gambhir added:
"The second game was against New Zealand. A lot of people have asked me which was the turning point or make-or-break for you under extreme kind of pressure. I have said that it was the game against New Zealand. If I had not scored runs in that game, I would have been dropped after that. I was leaving my room and I promised myself that irrespective of what happens today, when I come back in my room after the game, I will not come back regretting anything and will play this game on my terms."
Gambhir successfully staged a turnaround after a dismal World Cup debut outing against Pakistan, finishing as the second-highest run-getter in the edition with 227 runs from six innings.