Gautam Gambhir reveals ‘the worst thing’ Team India went through after the 2011 World Cup triumph

10 years ago, on April 2, Team India won the 50-overs World Cup under the leadership of MS Dhoni. It was the skipper’s unbeaten 91 and Gautam Gambhir’s 97 that helped the Men in Blue beat Sri Lanka in the final at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Dhoni’s six over the long-on region off fast bowler Nuwan Kulasekara sealed the deal for his team.

India also became the first team to win a World Cup on home soil. However, going down the memory lane, Gambhir was surprised by the fact that the same eleven never played a game together after the triumph back in 2011.

I don’t think this has happened in international ODI cricket history: Gautam Gambhir

“I know that’s probably the worst thing. Bhajji once told me that. Probably the better person to ask the question is the erstwhile coach (Duncan Fletcher who took over immediately after Gary Kirsten’s departure at the end of the World Cup), the captain (MS Dhoni), and the selectors (K Srikkanth and Co,” Gambhir was quoted as saying in Hindustan Times.

“I don’t think this has happened in international ODI cricket history that a team that won a World Cup never played a single match together again,” he added.

After the win, Dhoni, the triumphant skipper, resorted to the rotation policy because of which the likes of Gambhir, Sachin Tendulkar, and Virender played together seldom. Gambhir, earlier, went on to call Dhoni’s policy “Complete Crap”.

In the World Cup, Gambhir was a key member of the Indian team. In nine games, he managed 393 runs at an average of 43.66 with four half-centuries to show for his efforts. In the final, he steadied India’s ship after Lasith Malinga picked up Sehwag and Tendulkar in quick succession.

In the game, the bowlers also chipped in as Zaheer Khan and Yuvraj Singh picked up two wickets each. The duo got decent support from Munaf Patel and Harbhajan Singh as well.

Gambhir’s ODI career couldn’t last long after India’s victory. Back in January 2013, the southpaw last played in the format against England in Dharamsala. In 147 ODIs from 2003 to 2013, the Delhi-born scored 5,238 runs with 11 tons and 34 fifties.