Gautam Gambhir spills beans on Team India’s poor performance in the ongoing T20 World Cup. He feels that Team India performs well across all the formats in the bilateral series. But, they have so far failed in ICC-organized tournaments.
India has suffered defeat against Pakistan and New Zealand by big margins. The Men in Blue were looked down as the top contenders to lift the T20 World Cup trophy. But, they have failed in living up to the expectations of the cricket fans and pundits.
India performs bad in big tournaments, talent is of no use: Gambhir
Virat Kohli, who is the master of playing spin, got out playing a rash stroke against New Zealand spinner Ish Sodhi. The Kiwi skipper set a strict field that denied single to Virat Kohli while batting. This forced right-handed batsman to go for a big shot. But, he failed in getting his timing really well and ended up giving a regular catch to Trent Boult near the boundary rope.
In the match, India lost the game by 8 wickets and is on the verge of getting knocked out from the tournament. Post-match, Gautam Gambhir, who is known for his outspoken nature said that Team India is a very talented side. But, that talent is of no use until the team performs well in big tournaments like T20 World Cup. As per him, the game against New Zealand was no less than a quarterfinal. But, Indian players collapsed in pressure situations and committed mistakes in batting and bowling.
“Yes talent is one thing, you’ve got all the skills and do really well in bilaterals and stuff. But when it comes to these kinds of games and tournaments, this is when you have got to stand up and perform,” Gambhir said to ESPNcricinfo after India’s loss.
“This game was literally like a quarterfinal. The problem is with the mental toughness of the side. Suddenly when you know you have got to win the game and can’t make mistakes, in bilaterals it’s different because you can make mistakes there. But in these kinds of games, I don’t think India has got that mental strength.
