"I had not even padded up when Virender Sehwag got out" - Gautam Gambhir recalls 2011 World Cup final knock
Gautam Gambhir recently revealed that he was not even ready when Virender Sehwag got out during India's 2011 World Cup final against Sri Lanka at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
The southpaw batted at No. 3 in the summit clash, with Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar being the designated openers. Gambhir mentioned that he was not padded up when the first wicket fell.
Speaking about how it turned out to be a blessing in disguise for him, Gambhir said on ANI's podcast:
"I had not even padded up when Virender Sehwag got out. He took a referral, so I got one or two minutes to get ready. By the time I realized, I was actually facing Lasith Malinga. Sometimes you are not even thinking about the occasion. When you are waiting for your turn and know it is a World Cup final, [you tend to think] 'what if I fail?'. By the time I had any thought in my head, I was facing Lasith Malinga."
Gambhir further stated that even when Tendulkar was dismissed early and India were in a precarious position, he was confident that they would win that match if he remained at the crease till the end.
"When Sachin Tendulkar got out, I remember one thing that came in my mind: 'till the time I am there, India is winning'. That is the belief I always had: irrespective of whether we lose two, three, or four wickets, till the time I am batting till the 50th over, India will not lose the game," he added.
Gambhir stole the show with his batting exploits in the final, scoring a match-winning 97-run knock to help India chase down the 275-run target with six wickets in hand.
"Nothing is underrated; it is undervalued" - Gautam Gambhir on some fans calling him an underrated player
Gautam Gambhir also stated that he doesn't like being called underrated.
He claimed that the people who call a player underrated are the same ones who don't give enough credit or appreciation to that particular player.
"The people who say it was an underrated knock or player are the same ones who actually undervalue and underappreciate it. Nothing is underrated; it is undervalued. That is where the problem lies," Gambhir explained.
Gambhir's fine knock in the 2011 World Cup final is termed underrated by many as it was overshadowed by skipper MS Dhoni's unbeaten 91-run knock, which included the famous match-winning six.