Former Indian player Gautam Gambhir explained the reason why he wasn’t able to enjoy the 2011 World Cup triumph on the night of the final as well. He scored a stunning 97 but had to bat for almost 42 overs, including the 50 overs that he was earlier in the field before. While he was happy that he helped India win the World Cup, he was physically exhausted and had no energy left to enjoy with the rest of the team.
Speaking to RevSportz, Gautam Gambhir said: “I don’t think people realize that I was on the ground for literally 92 overs of the final. I was out there batting for 41-42 overs of our innings. The truth is, after I got out and went back to the change room, I was exhausted. Drained completely. So while I was massively happy and emotionally invested in the celebrations, physically I was exhausted. We had a team celebration late in the night, and while I went there for a few minutes, I just came to my room and crashed. I did nothing else because I was fatigued. However, when I went home the next day, it was a very proud moment with family. Seeing my mother so happy was very pleasing. It was a very touching celebration at home, and I felt good seeing the smiles on people’s faces.”
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However, Gautam Gambhir said that they all were charged up in the 2011 World Cup and shared the importance of having that intensity in such a big game as well. He fell just three runs short of a World Cup hundred in the final.
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“You are playing a World Cup final. The stakes are at their highest. If you aren’t charged, then there is something wrong. We were all charged up for the 2011 World Cup as well. Zaheer Khan bowled a fantastic spell up front, and that’s what helped set the tempo. Each one of us wanted to do well in front of our home fans, and win the tournament. When you play high-pressure sport, you have to have the intensity. If you don’t, you can never do well at that level,” Gautam Gambhir concluded.
