Gautam Gambhir: India Must Prioritize Trophies Over Milestones | T20 World Cup 2024
The age of the personal milestones is over, declared India men’s coach Gautam Gambhir. Let the age of India single-mindedly pursuing trophies begin. India have now won two ICC trophies and an Asia Cup under Gambhir, last year’s Champions Trophy and this the sizeable prizes of his tenure so far.
“For too long in Indian cricket, we’ve spoken about milestones, and I hope, till I’m there, we’re not going to talk about milestones,” Gambhir said at a press conference following the victory over New Zealand in Ahmedabad on Sunday. “You can see it very easily as well. You can see it in the last three games, what Sanju [Samson] did – 97 not out, 89 and 89. Imagine if you would have been playing for a milestone, probably we wouldn’t have got 250. So I think What we have is for you guys [media] as well. Stop celebrating milestones, celebrate trophies. That is going to be crucial, as the bigger purpose of a team sport is to be winning trophies.”
Gambhir’s philosophy, honed during his own decorated playing career, centers on aggressive intent and a willingness to embrace risk. He revealed that his approach was built around a “high risk, high reward” mentality, prioritizing impactful scoring over cautious accumulation. This mindset, he believes, is crucial for success in the rapid-paced T20 format. “It’s not fair to compare what kind of a team I have made – I always believe that high risk, high reward is the only way to play a T20 format, and you don’t fear to lose a game of cricket to win a game of cricket,” he explained. “If you start fearing to lose a game of cricket, you will never win.”
The coach illustrated his point by referencing a loss to South Africa earlier in the tournament, where India were defeated by 100 runs. Despite the heavy defeat, Gambhir refused to alter his team’s approach. “We lost a match against South Africa by 100 runs – but that ideology never changed. That mindset never changed. I never thought, that now let’s play a little subdued. Because after South Africa, all our matches were must-win matches. All were knockout matches. But despite that, if you play that kind of cricket, that’s when you give yourself the best chance to win big tournaments.”
This commitment to aggressive batting was particularly evident in the performances of Sanju Samson, who consistently prioritized quick scoring even when nearing a century. Samson fell attempting sixes in both the semi-final and final, yet his aggressive intent contributed significantly to India posting totals exceeding 250 in both matches. Samson himself expressed satisfaction with his approach, even without reaching a hundred.
Gambhir emphasized the importance of players prioritizing the team’s success over individual accolades. “The best chance to give ourselves to win this World Cup was that how we react when someone like a batter is close to 100. If someone is batting on 94, does he have the courage to go and get 100 next ball, rather than thinking about getting 100 for three or four balls. I think the guys have done that brilliantly,” he said. “All of them in the dressing room bought into this mindset. The only way you could hit the big totals is when you’re putting your team ahead of your own self. Everyone in that dressing room was putting the team ahead of himself, and that is the reason why we could achieve something special like this.”
The victory in the also holds personal significance for Gambhir, marking him as the first individual to win the tournament as both a player (2007) and a coach (2026). He also secured a Champions Trophy title as coach last year.
However, Gambhir was quick to deflect individual praise, dedicating the triumph to three figures instrumental in shaping the current success of Indian cricket: Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, and Ajit Agarkar. Dravid, who previously coached India to T20 World Cup glory in 2024, and Laxman, currently heading the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (CoE), were singled out for their foundational contributions. Agarkar, the chief selector, also received recognition.
“I think I should dedicate this trophy to Rahul bhai and then to Laxman,” Gambhir said. “Because of what Rahul bhai has done to keep Indian cricket in such good shape. I have to thank him for everything what he’s done during his tenure. And then VVS Laxman for unconditionally doing so much for Indian cricket, especially behind the scenes, because CoE remains the pipeline for Indian cricket. Third is obviously Ajit Agarkar, because he does accept a lot of flak and I’m thankful for the amount of honesty he’s worked with.”
Gambhir highlighted the depth of talent within the Indian squad as a key factor in their success, allowing for tactical flexibility and seamless transitions between personnel. The team demonstrated this adaptability throughout the tournament, notably by omitting Rinku Singh, adjusting Tilak Varma’s role, and re-integrating Samson as an opener – a combination that ultimately proved decisive. Samson was ultimately named Player of the Tournament.
“I felt that we are very blessed as a team and as a coach and captain because of the amount of depth we have in that dressing room. Because we could have played three, four, five combinations,” Gambhir explained. “We could have played two wristspinners. We could have played batsmen till No. 8. We could have had different combinations at the top. We had three openers who could bat any time at the top.”
Gambhir concluded by emphasizing his desire to establish a distinct cricketing identity for India under his leadership. “It’s not only about inheriting a team, it is also about creating something of your own. So that is something for me which was always something I wanted to do as a coach – that can we play a completely different brand of cricket, where people can go and say that this is the team that has consistently outscored, outbowled, and has been a fearless group of players who do not fear losing a game of cricket.”