Team India has the skill but lacks strong mental toughness: Gautam Gambhir.
T20 World Cup 2021: After India’s two consecutive defeats against Pakistan and New Zealand in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2021, the team has come under the scanner of fans and even experts have slammed the Virat Kohli-led side for its poor display of performance.
After India succumbed against Pakistan in a 10-wicket loss, the experts expected a brutal comeback from the Men in Blue, however, the team again incurred an eight-wicket loss against New Zealand that exposed the side exponentially.
Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir reckons that Indian players have all the skills they require to excel but lack the mental toughness to overcome the pressure of the ICC tournaments.
“Yes talent is one thing, you’ve got all the skills and do really well in bilaterals and stuff. But when it comes to these kind of games and tournaments, this is when you have got to stand up and perform.
“This game was literally like a quarterfinal. The problem is with the mental toughness of the side. Suddenly when you know you have got to win the game and can’t make mistakes, in bilaterals it’s different because you can make mistakes there. But in these kind of games, I don’t think India has got that mental strength.
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The former World Cup-winning cricketer further said that some or the other player in the team should take up the responsibility to score and put his hands up in these crucial matches.
Team India has often played humiliating cricket in the ICC knockout matches. If you remember the 2017 Champions Trophy final, 2019 ODI World Cup Semifinal, or the recent ICC World Test Championship Final, India has been the victim of the ICC knockouts despite playing fantastic cricket all throughout the tournament.
“They have the skill and are a very dangerous side. But unfortunately, we can keep talking about it that we need to stand by our team when its not doing well but it’s been a trend and its been happening for a very long time in most of these ICC tournaments, whether its the semifinals or the game today as well. When it mattered the most for someone to put his hand up, they just couldn’t,” Gambhir said on ESPNCricinfo.
The Men in Blue now have three games left to play in the ongoing T20 World cup 2021. India will play against Afghanistan in its next match and needs to win all three of the remaining matches in order to at least push for its semi-final spot.
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