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Under the leadership of Rohit Sharma, the Indian cricket team made history by winning the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, defeating South Africa by seven runs in a thrilling final held in Barbados on June 29.
This victory ended India’s 11-year wait for an ICC trophy and marked their second T20 World Cup title after a gap of 17 years, following their initial triumph under MS Dhoni’s captaincy in 2007.
India’s journey to becoming champions of the T20 World Cup 2024 was remarkable, overcoming challenges, heartbreaks, and criticisms on their path to lifting the coveted trophy.
Amid the celebrations of India’s memorable T20 World Cup 2024 victory, Gautam Gambhir shared a poignant story that diverged from the general emotional response. While the historic win stirred deep emotions among Indian fans and former cricketers, Gambhir admitted to feeling a sense of pride rather than overwhelming emotion.
Gambhir, who is speculated to be the next head coach of Team India, expressed his admiration for Rohit Sharma and the team’s achievements in the Caribbean. However, he revealed that he did not experience the same emotional reaction as others. He attributed this to a pivotal moment in his youth that shaped his perspective.
Gambhir recalled how his passion for cricket and his aspiration to win a World Cup for India were ignited during the 1992 World Cup group match between India and Australia in Brisbane. India’s narrow defeat by just one run left a profound impact on the 11-year-old Gambhir, shaping his approach to the game and his ambitions for the future.
I have never cried like that before or after that: Gautam Gambhir
Gautam Gambhir was quoted as saying by Sportskeeda: “After seeing a match, I wanted to win the World Cup for India. I remember the 1992 India-Australia World Cup game in Brisbane, which India lost by one run, and I actually remember that I cried the entire night. I have never cried like that before or after that, and I don’t know why.”
The defeat during the 1992 World Cup impacted the young Gambhir so deeply that he cried all night, fueling a determination to someday secure a World Cup victory for India. The moment of Venkatapathy Raju’s run-out in that match remained vivid in his memory.
Nineteen years later, Gambhir’s childhood dream became a reality when he played a crucial role in India’s triumphant 2011 World Cup campaign. However, after that pivotal incident in 1992, he never experienced such intense emotions of sadness or tears again.
Gambhir added, “I was an 11-year-old at that time. I cried the entire night and said that I want to win the World Cup for India. I said that in 1992 and I was able to fulfill that dream in 2011. I would have felt unhappy before or after that match but I didn’t used to cry like that.
I remember Venkatapathy Raju getting run out and India lost by one run. The match used to come early in the morning, so I used to watch that game after waking up at five in the morning, but I was never as sad before or after that game.”
