Gautam Gambhir was evidently emotional after India's T20 World Cup win, as his roller-coaster coaching tenure hit a major peak as he became the first person in history to win the tournament both as a player and head coach. The former Indian cricketer was part of the MS Dhoni-led Indian side that won the title in 2007, where he was the top-scorer in the final against Pakistan with a knock of 75 in 54 balls as the Men in Blue clinched a five-run victory in Johannesburg.
Gambhir came out for the post-match press conference with Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav and dedicated the victory to Indian cricket legends Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman. He also reserved special praise for chief selector Ajit Agarkar.
“First of all, I want to dedicate this trophy to Rahul bhai (Rahul Dravid), and then to Laxman bhai (VVS Laxman). What Rahul bhai has done to keep Indian cricket in such good shape has been incredible, and I have to thank him for everything he did during his tenure," said Gambhir in the post-match press conference.
“I would also like to thank VVS Laxman for doing so much for Indian cricket unconditionally, especially behind the scenes, because the COE remains the pipeline for Indian cricket. And thirdly, of course, Ajit Agarkar, because he takes a lot of flak despite the honesty and commitment with which he has worked," Gambhir added.
Gambhirrevealed that ICC chief Jay Shah was the only person to call him during the rough phases of his coaching tenure, which were the whitewashes at home in Test cricket against South Africa and New Zealand.
"And last but not the least, I have to thank Jay Bhai (Jay Shah) because not many people actually called me when I went through the lowest moments of my tenure — whether it was after New Zealand or after South Africa series loss. The only person who actually called me was Jay Bhai.
“I really have to thank him for trusting me with this job because I remember very clearly that when I was given this role, I had no experience of being the head coach of any franchise or any team. Yet he still trusted me with the responsibility. So I have to thank him for that. And I think as long as people like him are there, Indian cricket is in very, very safe hands,” Gambhir added.
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Aayush Kataria is a Senior Copy Editor at Times Network with four years of experience, having started his career in the organisation. He is a key memb...View More
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