Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir has revealed that he only felt pressure to score runs once in his entire cricketing career and that happened during the 2014 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). However, Gambhir has played some stunning knocks for India, like the 75 in the 2007 T20 World Cup final and the 97 in the 2011 World Cup final as well. However, Gambhir added that his three consecutive ducks during IPL 2014 put him under a lot of pressure and he couldn’t face the first ball in the fourth game as well. He recalled being ashamed of himself for asking Manish Pandey to open the batting as well.
Speaking to RevSportz, Gautam Gambhir said: “The only time I felt pressure was in 2014 when I got three consecutive ducks for KKR [Kolkata Knight Riders] in Dubai as captain. In the fourth match, I asked Manish Pandey to open the innings and batted at No. 3 myself. Manish was scoring, and I did this because I was scared. I have no hesitation in accepting I was ashamed of myself. However, Manish was out without scoring and I got out for 1. I told Manish I would never again do this, and decided to take things head-on.”
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Gautam Gambhir further added: “I was feeling the pressure. I was nervous. But then that’s what mental strength and courage are all about. You need to face up to the toughest challenges. In our next game, I opened the batting and smashed the first ball from Kane Richardson for four. Perhaps the most important four of my IPL career. That’s when things changed again.”
Gautam Gambhir also claimed that while he also won the T20 World Cup in 2007, winning the 2011 World Cup at home and fulfilling the dream was a completely different feeling for him as well.
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“In 2007, the T20 format wasn’t the format of choice. Yes, we won, but it was not the format we all excelled at. The 50-over World Cup was different. On home soil, the 2011 World Cup was the tournament that all of India was looking forward to.”We had not won a 50-over World Cup for 28 years, and in every sense it was a very special occasion. To be able to do well for my team was a very satisfying thing for me, and will surely rank as one of the highest points in my career,” Gautam Gambhir concluded.
