Gautam Gambhir slams team India over obsession with stats, says 'It is the biggest reason for not winning ICC title'

Gautam Gambhir was member of India's World Cup winning team in 2011.

There was an unusual sight in India's opening encounter against Australia at Chepauk Stadium in Chennai. Indian middle-order batter KL Rahul was a little disappointed even after hitting the winning shot for six against Aussie. KL Rahul was hopeful of the ball landing inside the playing field and going for a boundary, as that would have allowed him an opportunity to smash a six and complete his 7th ODI century and also finish the game.

The disappointment on KL Rahul’s face after hitting the winning shot for a six has also raised a few questions. Rahul’s action was seen as he was looking for a personal milestone over his team’s win in a crucial World Cup game. Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir has given his opinion on the same and has slammed the mentality of players looking for stats over wins. Gambhir also hinted that this is India’s biggest hindrance to ICC title wins in the last 10 years.

Gautam Gambhir slams the stats obsession

Winner of the 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 World Cup for India, Gautam Gambhir, has said, “If you score 30, 40, or even 140, what matters in the end is whether the team won or not. I think our obsession with stats is one of the biggest reasons why we have not won an ICC tournament in so many years.” India have not won any ICC titles in the last 10 years, and they have lost in four consecutive finals they have played across formats.

The former Indian opener also stated that winning the game makes your century, or half-century, special in a game. Gautam Gambhir added, “For me, it really does not matter whether you score a hundred or score whatever you end up scoring if the team ends up winning. If you stay until the end and take the team to victory, that is all that matters.” He also urged the players to be done with their obsession with stats in international cricket and just focus on winning.

KL Rahul missed his century by just 3 runs and ended up scoring an unbeaten 97 runs. Rahul added 165 for the 4th wicket, along with Virat Kohli. Virat Kohli scored 85 runs against Australia at Chepauk. Team India lost their top-order batting in just 2 runs, and they were 2 for 3 in the first two overs against Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood. India needed 200 runs to win their opening game, as they restricted Australia to just 199 total.