Gautam Gambhir blames 'Hero-Worship' culture for India's struggle to win an ICC Trophy
Gautam Gambhir identifies 'Hero-Worship' culture as the root of issues in Indian cricket and their poor run at ICC events
FollowGautam Gambhir has expressed his view on the 'hero-worshipping' culture in Indian cricket, which he believes is the underlying cause for the nation's struggle to win an ICC trophy. Following India's defeat in the World Test Championship final against Australia, Gambhir emphasised the negative impact of the prevailing 'individual hero-worshipping' culture and how it affects the approach towards cricket by various stakeholders in the sport.
The cricketing world has criticised India's performance in the World Test Championship final, adding to the ongoing ICC trophy drought for the men's national team. The comprehensive defeat at the hands of Australia has raised concerns about the Test team's state, especially considering their lack of victories outside of Asia since December 2021. Gautam Gambhir highlighted the truth about India's culture, stating that the country tends to prioritise individuals over the team, unlike other cricketing nations like England, Australia, and New Zealand.
Although Team India consistently reaches the later stages of ICC tournaments, they have struggled in crucial matches. Their losses in both WTC finals, against New Zealand and now Australia, as well as the heavy defeat in the T20 World Cup last year, highlight this pattern. India's quest for an ICC trophy has been unfulfilled since their victory in the 2013 Champions Trophy.
"All the stakeholders of Indian cricket, from broadcasters to the media, ultimately and unfortunately are nothing more than a PR agency at this point. They will showcase only three people all day. If you score 50 runs and I score 50 runs, and I am shown on screens all day, the entire audience will think only I am the star. You will be called an 'underrated' player."
"Who makes a player underrated? The broadcasters themselves, social media does it, the experts do it," continued Gambhir. "If they talk about my performances all day and don't mention yours at all, you will become underrated automatically. You worked just as hard as I did. If your performance doesn't receive the credit it deserves, you will always remain underrated, and the biggest truth is that we haven't won an ICC tournament in such a long time because we are obsessed with the individuals."
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