Former India opener Gautam Gambhir, who played stellar roles in India’s 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 World Cup triumphs, has stated that the current Indian squad lacks the mental toughness to handle pressure in crunch situations, and hence cannot be termed as world-class. Speaking on the Star Sports show ‘Cricket Connected’, the cricketer-turned-politician added that the team and players do not possess the much-needed self-belief, which is why they falter in big games. So, does Gambhir have a valid point or is he exaggerating facts?
KNOCKOUT WOES
The one factor that has constantly gone against India’s champion team status is their failure to win knockout clashes. India last won an ICC tournament back in 2013 when they lifted the Champions Trophy in England in 2013. Since then, they have lost the 2014 T20 World Cup final, the 2015 World Cup semi-final, 2016 T20 World Cup semi-final, the 2017 Champions Trophy final as well as the 2019 World Cup semi-final. The list is too long for any team not to get worried about the barren run. What should make the team equally anxious is the failure of their big guns to perform in these crunch games.
This story is from the June 19, 2020 edition of Cricket Today.
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This story is from the June 19, 2020 edition of Cricket Today.
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