Win Projections to be updated soon
In a recent interview with News18, former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir shed light on his relationship with Virat Kohli and expressed his views on India’s obsession with individual players. Gambhir emphasized that any disagreements or arguments between him and Kohli were limited to the cricket field and did not carry over off the field.
Gambhir sheds light on his relationship with Dhoni and Kohli
Gambhir stated, “My relationship with MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli are the same. If there is an argument between us, it stays only on the field, not off the field. There’s nothing personal. They want to win as much as I do.”
The discussion arose in the context of a recent incident during this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL), where Kohli, representing Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), and Gambhir, serving as the mentor of Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), were involved in a heated exchange of words. The altercation occurred following some in-game sledging between Kohli and Lucknow’s Naveen-ul-Haq during the chase. Players from both teams, including RCB captain Faf du Plessis and LSG counterpart KL Rahul, had to intervene to separate the two.
Reflecting on the incident, Gambhir acknowledged the competitive nature of the players involved and the intensity of the IPL. He emphasized that such incidents were part of the game and should not be taken personally.
Gambhir criticizes broadcasters
During the interview, Gambhir also touched upon India’s cricketing landscape and expressed his opinion on the nation’s obsession with individual players. He argued that India was not a team-obsessed country but rather an individual-obsessed one. Gambhir compared this mindset to countries like England, New Zealand, and Australia, where the focus is on the collective strength of the team.
Gambhir further criticized the role of broadcasters, experts, and social media in perpetuating this obsession with individuals. He pointed out that by highlighting only a few players and their performances, others often remained underrated and their contributions went unnoticed. He believed that this emphasis on individual achievements rather than overall team success had hindered India’s ability to win major ICC trophies in recent years.
“Who makes a player underrated? The broadcasters do, the experts do and social media does. If you talk about just one player’s performance, the other will be automatically underrated. Both have grafted equally but if one’s performance does not get credited, he/she will always remain underrated. This obsession with individuals is the reason why India have not won any major ICC trophy for a long time.”, Gambhir said in his interview.
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