For the 90s kids of India, the 2011 World Cup win for India was one of the memorable moments of Indian cricket. It was the team's first World Cup win in 28 years as India became the first ever team to win the elusive trophy on home soil. Fans of the sport who got to watch MS Dhoni's historic six disappear into the stands at the Wankhede Stadium that evening, consider themselves lucky. Natasha, Gautam Gambhir's wife would have had the experience, but had unknowingly turned down the tickets for the World Cup final.
Gambhir had played a crucial knock in the match, scoring 97 runs at the iconic Wankhede Stadium to help revive India after a stutter before Dhoni's unbeaten knock took India past the target.
Speaking on Jatin Sapru's YouTube show 'Over and Out', Gambhir recalled the day when she had offered Natasha, who was his girlfriend then, the tickets to the World Cup final, but she did not consider it that important and turned down the offer. Gambhir added that she only became aware it after the celebrations had started.
"After we won the Mohali match against Pakistan and reached Mumbai, I asked her, 'You want to come for the final?'. She said 'Let me think' and then called back and said 'Is it that important? It's just another game of cricket'. She said 'Who'll bother traveling to Mumbai, my sister and brother will come.' So her sister and brother came and then after we won... she only realized when the entire country was celebrating. She said 'Why is the whole country celebrating?' and I said we've won the World Cup after 20-odd years. Even if you ask her now she gets embarrassed about rejecting the offer for that game when her sister and brother were there," he said.
{{/usCountry}}"After we won the Mohali match against Pakistan and reached Mumbai, I asked her, 'You want to come for the final?'. She said 'Let me think' and then called back and said 'Is it that important? It's just another game of cricket'. She said 'Who'll bother traveling to Mumbai, my sister and brother will come.' So her sister and brother came and then after we won... she only realized when the entire country was celebrating. She said 'Why is the whole country celebrating?' and I said we've won the World Cup after 20-odd years. Even if you ask her now she gets embarrassed about rejecting the offer for that game when her sister and brother were there," he said.
{{/usCountry}}Gambhir however explained that her absence did not matter to him because he was entirely focussed on the match and was aiming to give his best.
"It doesn't matter to me, honestly because it was such a big occasion that whoever was or wasn't in the stadium, it didn't matter.... because ultimately you are going to play such a big match. The occasion doesn't matter to me but somewhere you know you are playing a match where winning will the entire country, 100-odd crore people will be happy with it. When you have such expectations on your shoulder, you ultimately just watch the ball and try and win the contest," he said.