Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir has recently revealed which thing led him to get out on 97 runs during the final of ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.
Gautam Gambhir was one of the most successful cricketers in Indian cricket history. His presence played big roles for India to win the ICC World T20 2007 and ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. While he played crucial roles in both of those entire tournaments, he was India’s highest run-scorer in both the finals of those tournaments.
In the CWC 2011 final, India had to chase 275 runs target against Sri Lanka while MS Dhoni-led India went down to 31/2 at the early stage of that chasing. At first, Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli handled that early situation very well with the 83 runs partnership for the third wicket. Later, Gambhir and the skipper MS Dhoni coolly guided India to the safest position in that game.
In the 42nd over, when India were 52 runs short from the target, Gautam Gambhir was batting on 97 runs. On the second ball of that over, Gambhir went down the track to play a shot against the medium-pacer Thisara Perera but the Indian left-handed batsman completely missed that ball and lost his wicket through the bowled dismissal. Gautam Gambhir scored 97 runs off 122 balls (9 fours) in that match.
I never thought about my own individual score – Gautam Gambhir
Recently, in a video interview with The Lallantop, Gambhir opened up his dismissal in that final. He claimed that his talk with the Indian skipper MS Dhoni changed his mindset which led him to play differently and that ultimately bowled him before his century. Gambhir feels that he would have easily scored that century if his mind followed the chasing total rather than his personal century.
Gambhir said in that interview, “I have been asked this question many times, on what happened when I was on 97. I tell every youngster and every person that before getting to 97, I never thought about my own individual score but looked at the target set by Sri Lanka. I remember that when an over was completed, I and Dhoni were at the crease. He told me that ‘these three runs are remaining, get these three runs and your hundred would be completed’.
“Suddenly, when your mind turns to your individual performance, individual score, then, somewhere, you have a rush of blood. Before this moment, my target was only to chase Sri Lanka’s target. If only that target remained in my mind, maybe, I would have easily scored my hundred.”
These three runs would trouble me for the rest of my life
Gautam Gambhir has further added that dismissal still troubles him as people ask him the reason for his failure to score those three runs.
Gambhir added, “That’s why… till I was on 97, I was in the present, but as soon as I thought, I am three runs away from getting a hundred, then that rush of blood caused by the desire to get to a hundred (took over). That’s why it’s so important to remain in the present… when I was walking back to the dressing room after being dismissed, I said to myself that these three runs would trouble me for the rest of my life and that is true. Even to this day, people ask me why I couldn’t get those three runs.”
In that final, MS Dhoni remained not out on 91 runs off 79 balls (8 fours and 2 sixes) and reached the target in 48.2 overs after losing four wickets. Dhoni won the Player of the Match award while it was India’s second Cricket World Cup title.