Former India batsman Gautam Gambhir has lashed out at the media for creating a narrative that has stopped players from getting credit for their performance at the 2011 World Cup. Time and again, the batting great has raised his voice against the obsession over individuals in the country.

A couple of years ago, Gautam Gambhir had publicly lashed out against a popular cricketing website over a social media post. Responding to a picture of MS Dhoni hitting the iconic six to win the tournament that was posted by the website, the former cricketer had said it was high time to end the obsession with the shot as the entire team should be given the credit for the historic win.

Just a reminder @ESPNcricinfo: #worldcup2011 was won by entire India, entire Indian team & all support staff. High time you hit your obsession for a SIX. pic.twitter.com/WPRPQdfJrV

— Gautam Gambhir (@GautamGambhir) April 2, 2020

Gautam Gambhir himself was India’s highest score in the 2011 World Cup final against Sri Lanka. It was he who helped India recover after a disastrous start. The former batsman scored 97 runs and shared crucial stands with Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni to take India closer to the win. After his dismissal, MS Dhoni took India over the finishing line and ended the game by hitting the iconic six over long-on.

Gautam Gambhir calls out the media:

In a recent interview, Gautam Gambhir once again called out the media and said that they are responsible for creating the narrative that has prevented the players from getting any credit for their contribution to the 2011 World Cup win. He did not target any player for the narrative and stated that the media are responsible for the same.

The former opener said that the likes of Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer Khan, Sachin Tendulkar, Suresh Raina, and several other major contributors for India in the 2011 World Cup never get the credit they deserve.

“When you talk about not giving credit, forget about me. We haven’t given enough credit to Yuvraj Singh as well. How many people talk about Zaheer Khan’s first spell in the World Cup final which had set the tone for us. Five overs, four maidens. How many people remember that? So it is not about the players, it is the media, it is the social media, it is the narrative that has been created,” Gautam Gambhir told RevSportz.

“It is that individual-obsessed nature that you are obsessed with individuals so much that you forget about team and what the team members have done. No individual can ever go on to win the World Cup. If that was the case, India would have won every World Cup till now because we worship our heroes or our own players individually so much. 

“So for me, let’s not even talk about my 97. There are far more bigger contributions in that tournament. Yuvraj Singh in 2007. Tell me how many people talk about Yuvraj Singh, his contribution in 2011. Zaheer Khan, the way he performed throughout the competition. Suresh Raina’s innings against Australia, Munaf Patel’s spell against Australia. 

“There were so many contributors. Yes I played a huge innings in the final and yes I had my contribution but look at Sachin Tendulkar. He was our highest run-getter. Three or four hundreds in that 2011 World Cup. How many people talk about Sachin Tendulkar? We keep talking about that one six which MS played but that was never the case. It is the media that created that.

“You keep asking players, have they been given so much of credit and they will always say no because media, social media, the amount of money that has been spent on so many other platforms, that will always happen. Yes, I can also spend that and I have all the rights to spend that. But I don’t do that because I want to live in a real world,” he added.

"We haven't given enough credit to Yuvraj Singh"- @GautamGambhir believes that fans are obsessed with individual players and often overlook the collective efforts of the entire team.

Gautam Gambhir unplugged!

Full Episode || 12PM@AgeasFederal @Pebble_India pic.twitter.com/62dCjlvbzf

— RevSportz (@RevSportz) August 24, 2023

The post ICC World Cup 2023: Gautam Gambhir Holds Media Responsible For Players Not Getting Credit For Their Contribution In 2011 World Cup Win appeared first on CricketAddictor.