Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir recently opened up on his playing days and expressed his sole regret: his inability to finish his role in the final of ICC Men's 2011 ODI World Cup for the Indian cricket team.
In the 2011 ODI World Cup final between India and Sri Lanka, Gautam Gambhir played a crucial innings, scoring 97 runs off 122 balls, the highest for the Indian team. Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni remained unbeaten on 91 off 79 balls, culminating the match with a massive six to secure a historic win for India.
In a recent statement, Gambhir acknowledged playing a significant innings but expressed regret over not being able to finish the job for his team.
"I wish I had finished that game. It was my job to finish the game, rather than leaving someone to finish the game. If I had to turn back the clock, I would go back there and score the last run, irrespective of how many runs I scored," Gambhir said at a 'Rise To Leadership' seminar.
The veteran said he isn't disappointment for not being able to captain India for a long run.
"I have always thought about performing for the fans, and that has been my thought since the last year of my training career. In the middle, I got this honour of captaining India for six games. I tried doing it to the best of my ability," he said.
"Otherwise, I have no regrets whatsoever because my job was not to captain the series. My job was to make my country win, and whichever team I play for, make that team win," he added.
Rahul Dravid's coaching stint with India is set to conclude after ICC T20 World Cup 2024. Speculation suggests Gautam Gambhir, who guided KKR to victory in the IPL 2024 as mentor, is a leading contender for the position of India's next head coach. When questioned about this possibility, Gambhir chose to not reveal anything.
"I don't see that far ahead. You are grilling me, asking me all tough questions," he said.