'It Was My Job... Rather Than Leaving it for Someone': Gautam Gambhir's 'Only Regret' in the Iconic Innings with MS Dhoni

Gautam Gambhir’s knock of 97 runs in the 2011 World Cup final, against Sri Lanka, will forever hold a special place in the history of Indian cricket. The early dismissals of Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar in the chase of 275 had silenced the crowd at the Wankhede Stadium before Gambhir decided to do the heavy lifting.

He found some support from young Virat Kohli before skipper MS Dhoni joined him in what turned out to be a historic partnership. The duo stitched a 109-run stand with Gambhir on the verge of a memorable century. But he was cleaned up by Tillakaratne Dishan in the 42nd over of the chase with India requiring 51 runs more.

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Although Dhoni, who got the company of Yuvraj Singh, finished the task with an iconic six, Gambhir still regrets not remaining till the end and winning the World Cup for India on home soil.

“I wish I had finished that game,” Gambhir said, referring to the 2011 World Cup final.

“It was my job to finish the game, rather than leaving it for 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,” he added.

Gambhir in line to succeed Rahul Dravid as India coach

Front-runner for the role of head coach of the Indian cricket team, Gautam Gambhir did not give too many hints regarding a potential change in role but he opened up regarding the philosophies he abides by as a coach.

Speaking at the Indian Chamber of Commerce event in Kolkata, the former Indian opener revealed that his mantra was based on a team-first philosophy. This led him to mentor the Kolkata Knight Riders to the title of the 2024 edition of the Indian Premier League.

When asked regarding the India head coaching job, Gambhir did not give much away.

“I don’t see that far ahead. You are grilling me, asking me all tough questions,” he said.

“It is difficult to answer right now. All I can say is that I’m happy being here, just finished a brilliant journey (and) let’s enjoy that. I’m in a very happy space right now,” Gambhir said at a ‘Rise To Leadership’ seminar here.

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