Champions don’t wait for the result of NZ vs AFG to know their fate: Gautam Gambhir

As New Zealand reached the target of 125 against Afghanistan, India’s hopes of making it to the semi-final of the T20 World Cup were dashed. They wanted Mohammad Nabi and his men to beat the Kiwis after losing to Pakistan and New Zealand in their opening two games. This is the first time that team India has not made it to the semi-final of an ICC event since 2012.

Former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir as lamented the process the team employed in the lead up to the mega event for this early exit. He reckoned that India should have planned better to face Shaheen Afridi and also assessed the pitch well after losing crucial tosses in both matches.

“There is no place for ifs and buts in sport, but things could have been different if India had planned better for Shaheen Shah Afridi, or assessed the pitch better when they took on New Zealand in the second game,” Gambhir wrote in his column for Times of India.

Champions train to win, says Gambhir

The cricketer-turned-politician also pointed out that a champion team has its destiny in its own hands and shouldn’t depend on any one else to make progress. India, even if they win against Namibia, will end up third in their group with Pakistan and New Zealand at top two. They had covered the NRR issue with big wins over Scotland and Afganistan but never had their fate in own hands after losing the first two matches.

“As a sportsperson you’d want to be master of your destiny rather than wait for a few permutations to go right to know how far you are progressing in a competition. Indian team would tell you what I mean. Champions train to win, they work hard to score that one run more than the opposition and not wait for the result of New Zealand vs Afghanistan match to know their fate,” Gambhir added.