'I cried the entire night...': Gautam Gambhir Reflects on Team India Match that Stirred His Emotions

Gautam Gambhir is celebrated as one of India's cricket icons, renowned for his exceptional batting skills and remarkable contributions to the sport. His gritty performances in high-pressure situations, including the 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 ODI World Cup finals, have solidified his legacy in Indian cricket history.

Also Read: Rahul Dravid thanks Rohit Sharma to convince him to stay until T20 WC

Gautam Gambhir reveals the ONLY match that made him cry and made him wanna win World Cup with India

Gautam Gambhir said his ambition to win the elite World Cup was inspired by India's one-run loss to Australia in 1992. He admitted that the terrible loss brought him tears all through the evening.

India was handed a revised score of 236 runs to chase in 47 overs for a rain-affected league encounter in Brisbane. To win, the side needed four runs off of the last ball. Steve Waugh dropped Javagal Srinath's catch, but Venkatapathy Raju went short of the crease trying a third run, so causing a limited loss.

In an exclusive interview on the Sportskeeda show "SK Match Ki Baat," Gambhir discussed how this almost loss inspired his drive to accomplish a World Cup triumph with the Indian cricket team. Gautam Gambhir said: 

"After seeing a match, I wanted to win the World Cup for India. I remember the 1992 India-Australia World Cup game in Brisbane, which India lost by one run, and I actually remember that I cried the entire night. I have never cried like that before or after that, and I don't know why," 

“I was an 11-year-old at that time. I cried the entire night and said that I wanted to win the World Cup for India. I said that in 1992 and I was able to fulfill that dream in 2011. I would have felt unhappy before or after that match but I didn't used to cry like that,”

“I remember Venkatapathy Raju getting run out and India lost by one run. The match used to come early in the morning, so I used to watch that game after waking up at five in the morning, but I was never as sad before or after that game,”

Gautam Gambhir scored 97 runs off of 121 deliveries in a pivotal innings in the 2011 ODI World Cup final. With MS Dhoni, who stayed unbroken on 91 from 79 balls, he developed a close relationship. Their combined 109 runs for the fourth wicket helped India effectively chase down the 275-run desired with six wickets in hand and ten balls remaining. Apart from that he was also part of the Indian team that won the 2007 T20 World Cup and played a huge knock in the final. 

He is expected to be the new Indian Cricket team coach after Rahul Dravid’s contract ‌expired after the T20 World Cup triumph., BCCI is expected to announce GG as the new head coach before the Sri Lanka white-ball series.