Updated December 17th, 2023 at 00:01 IST

Why India have not been able to win World Cup since 2011? Gambhir outlines one overlooked reason

Former Indian Cricketer Gautam Gambhir had made a huge statement reflecting on why Team India has failed to perform in ICC events since past 12 years.

Reported by: Aryan Suraj Chadha
Gautam Gambhir on prevailing issue in India. | Image:Gautamgambhir/instagram
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It's about to be almost one month since the Indian Cricket Team failed to win the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 final against Australia. Australia defeated Rohit Sharma and his team by 6 wickets at the Narendra Modi Stadium to continue their hunt for an ICC trophy for the past 10 years. The last time India lifted an ODI World Cup was in 2011 and lifted their last ICC trophy in 2013 winning the champions trophy, both under the leadership of MS Dhoni. 

3 things you need to know 

  • India lost the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 by 6 wickets to Australia 
  • India has failed to win the ODI World Cup since 2011 
  • India has not won an ICC trophy since 2013 

Also Read: Suryakumar Yadav Loses His Calm, Angrily Points His Finger At Arshdeep Singh

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Gautam Gambhir made a huge statement regarding India’s ICC trophy drought 

Former Indian cricketer and part of the 2011 World Cup winning team Gautam Gambhir, who is presently an East Delhi BJP MP, expressed his reservations about the players receiving preferential treatment. He stressed that all 15 players must receive the same treatment in the changing rooms and that India would not win the World Cup again if this principle is not upheld. Gambhir blamed broadcasters for sustaining the celebrity culture in Indian cricket and held them accountable for this unfair treatment. He emphasised the need to highlight the reason why India has failed to lift the ODI World Cup for the past 12 years. In a podcast with ANI, he said:

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In response to a question on the occasion when captain MS Dhoni's innings at the 2011 World Cup final eclipsed Gambhir's, the former hitter replied, 

“When people give the tag of ‘underrated’, they are the same people who actually ‘undershow’, ‘undervalue’ and ‘underappreciate’ a player. Nothing is underrated, it is under-shown and undervalued.”

He believes that for a team to achieve its goals, the country must abandon its obsession with statistics. 

 “It has been 12 years since India won a World Cup, and the reason is this – fortunately or unfortunately, our media, our broadcasters most importantly and our social media – if the broadcaster becomes a PR machinery for certain individuals then you will not get the desired results,” 

Gambhir stated that to secure a place in the squad and represent the nation, each of the fifteen players in the squad strives with equal effort. 

“But if the broadcaster becomes the PR machinery of one or two individuals, then the other 13 – and they might not be able to talk about it openly – but what must they be going through,” 

 “If you are not getting numbers then who is asking you to pay an exorbitant amount to telecast the matches? If you are bleeding then that can’t be the problem of the players. The players deserve to be fully appreciated for their game and their hard work,”

Gautam Gambhir during the 2011 ODI World Cup in India. Image: AP

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Gautam Gambhir talked about how it's bad to underrate players and put too much weight on individual numbers over team accomplishments. He stressed how important it was to recognise the contributions of all players instead of giving too much credit to a few. The media and broadcasters were criticised by Gambhir for possibly favouring some players and ignoring the others, which hurt the team's total success. He said that players shouldn't be blamed for problems with broadcasts and that all of their hard work and commitment should be recognised for making Indian cricket better.  

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Published December 16th, 2023 at 14:36 IST