'The truth why we haven't won ICC trophy in so long...': Gambhir lashes out with 'PR' jibe after India choke again

Gautam Gambhir highlighted 'hero-worship' as a reason for Indian cricket being approached in the wrong way by the parties surrounding the sport.

Former batter Gautam Gambhir has once again pinpointed 'hero-worshipping' as the 'truth' behind India's long wait for an ICC trophy in the wake of the team's 209 run hammering at the hands of Australia in the World Test Championship final. Gambhir, who has been pretty vocal about the 'individual hero-worshipping' culture prevailing in the country, launched Gambhir weighed in on the same and highlighted it as a reason for cricket being approached in the wrong way by the parties surrounding the sport.

Gautam Gambhir feels the problem in Indian cricket stems from 'hero-worshipping' culture of the nation. (Reuters/PTI)

India's poor performance in the World Test Championship final has led to massive criticisms from across the cricketing world, as the ICC trophy drought continues for the men's national team. Moreover, the humbling defeat at the hands of the Australian team has left many concerned about the state of the Test team, with no wins outside Asia since December 2021.

"Maybe a lot of people won't say this, but I think I should say it because it's the truth of the matter, and a truth which should come up before the world," Gambhir said in a fiery interview with News18. "Our country is not a team-obsessed country - it is individual obsessed. Our country considers individuals to be greater than the team. In other countries, England, Australia, New Zealand, the team is great, the individual isn't."

While Team India continues to make deep runs in ICC tournaments, performances in big games continue to let them down. They have reached both WTC finals, but have been handed comfortable defeats first by New Zealand and now Australia, as well as a brutal 10-wicket defeat in the T20 World Cup last year. India have remained trophy-less in ICC competitions since the 2013 Champions Trophy.

"All the stakeholders of Indian cricket, from broadcasters to the media, ultimately and unfortunately are nothing more than a PR agency at this point. They will showcase only three people all day. If you score 50 runs and I score 50 runs, and I am shown on screens all day, the entire audience will think only I am the star. You will be called an 'underrated' player."

Gambhir was part of the 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 ODI World Cup winning squads under MS Dhoni, and was responsible for highly significant innings in both those tournament finals. He would also go on to captain Kolkata Knight Riders to two IPL titles. Gambhir has often in the past taken contention with a lack of appreciation for his role in the two World Cup victories, while he has shared bad blood with Virat Kohli, with whom he shared words again in his role as mentor of the Lucknow Super Giants during IPL 2023.

"Who makes a player underrated? The broadcasters themselves, social media does it, the experts do it," continued Gambhir. "If they talk about my performances all day and don't mention yours at all, you will become underrated automatically. You worked just as hard as I did. If your performance doesn't receive the credit it deserves, you will always remain underrated, and the biggest truth is that we haven't won an ICC tournament in such a long time because we are obsessed with the individuals."