Gautam Gambhir Drops Blunt Message To Critics With Bold "Individual-Centric" Remark
Gautam Gambhir once again cleared his intention of building an Indian team that isn't 'individual-centric', unlike some previous occasions.
- Gautam Gambhir-Shubman Gill era in Test cricket began with a 2-2 draw against England
- After the end of the series, Gambhir emphasised a team-centric philosophy over individual hero-worship
- The team showed resilience with notable wins and draws despite the absence of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma
The era of Gautam Gambhir truly began in Test cricket as the Shubman Gill-led Indian team arrived in England. With a 2-2 series draw, that too in the absence of veterans like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and R Ashwin, India managed to pull off a big result, especially at a stage where many former cricketers and pundits have doubted the young players' abilities. As the series came to its conclusion, with India winning a heroic Test at the Oval by a narrow margin of 6 runs, head coach Gautam Gambhir once again reiterated his philosophy of shaping up a team that isn't 'individual-centric'.
Gambhir has always maintained that there's no space for hero-worship in a team sport. With the likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the team, Gambhir seemingly struggled to bring a change in the team's philosophy and the way his unit is perceived by the world. But the duo's exit from Test cricket has truly given the world a fair idea about how Gambhir's team will shape up in the coming years.
In a video shared by the BCCI, the head coach reaffirmed the 'ideology' of his team, which isn't 'individual-centric'.
"That is going to be the ideology of this Test team, where it won't be about individual-centric, it will be about the team. The way the boys have fought. I've always been a big believer that you should always get what you deserve, not what you want. And I think the guys deserved it," said Gambhir in a video posted by BCCI.
While Gambhir enjoyed early success in white-ball formats, his Test tenure began on a sour note with a 0-3 whitewash at home against New Zealand. It was followed by a 1-3 defeat in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia.
England presented Gambhir's most testing assignment, with a young Shubman Gill taking over the captaincy following the retirements of veterans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
India began the series with a five-wicket loss at Headingley but bounced back with a dominant 336-run win at Edgbaston. The visitors pushed England to the edge at Lord's before narrowly going down by 22 runs.
In Manchester, India battled hard to force a draw, setting the stage for a high-stakes decider at The Oval.
In a dramatic final Test, the visitors showed grit and composure to snatch a memorable win -- sealing a 2-2 series draw and restoring pride at the end of a roller-coaster campaign.Â
With PTI inputs
India Cricket Team
England Cricket Team
Gautam Gambhir