'Cricket isn't played on reputations' - Gautam Gambhir criticizes Team India after dismal SA tour

Team India would be hoping to sign off with a consolation win over South Africa in the third and final ODI at Newlands Cricket Stadium in Cape Town on Sunday after having lost the series 0-2. India had also lost the Test series 2-1 that had preceded the One Day Internationals from a position of strength despite having drawn first blood in Centurion.

As the Indian team looks to salvage pride by winning Sunday’s dead-rubber, former opener Gautam Gambhir has criticized the team’s strategy for their debacle in this bilateral series. He lashed out at the team for playing on ‘reputations’.

“Fear of losing. You don’t play on reputations. Cricket isn’t played on reputations. It is played in the middle. Many people say that India’s top-4 or top-5 is very explosive and very experienced. But the way you play in the middle is the only way to determine results”, said Gambhir while speaking on Star Sports.

Gautam Gambhir urges small contributions to be valued

At the same time, the two-time World Cup winner urged that instead of focusing on just the ‘fear of losing’ and individual performances, small contributions also need to be valued which would be very essential in winning series as well as ICC tournaments.

“We need to look beyond the fear of losing and the fear of own performance, that ‘I shouldn’t get out, I should score runs’. We need to value small contributions as well, not only from team management but from all perspectives. Unless you give value to them, you will only remain stats-driven and numbers-driven. And that doesn’t win you series and ICC tournaments. Only a combination of everything will win you big tournaments,” the cricketer-turned cricket pundit said.

Coming back to the contest, the coin landed in Indian skipper KL Rahul’s favor and he decided to field first. The Men In Blue have done well so far by taking two early wickets of in-form opener Janneman Malan and captain Temba Bavuma. It now remains to be seen whether the bowlers will contain the run flow and wrap up the innings at the earliest or the hosts post a formidable total on the board.