- The popularity of the shortest version of cricket, T20, across the world is only headed northwards, which would be tantamount to an understatement. India is the most happening place for cricket, especially T20, which must be largely credited to the ever-spiralling interest in the Indian Premier League (IPL) that has catapulted the game to an entirely different level altogether. Little wonder, big names in the business world are making a beeline to be associated with the lucrative IPL, not flinching one bit from pumping in enormous amounts of money as sponsors. The mind-boggling revenue being generated by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) firmly affirms this aspect. And India consecutively winning of the T20 World Cup only adds to the growing clamour.
PC: Reuters
- The recently concluded ICC T20 World Cup, jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka, must be rightly termed as hugely successful. Team India went on to retain the much-coveted trophy speaks volumes about the composition of players who have delivered some scintillating performances when it mattered most to cross the distance handsomely. Due credit should accrue to the selectors and Head Coach Gautam Gambhir for turning the competitive bunch of players into world-class performers attuned to deliver consistently, overcoming whatever challenges are thrown at them by the opposition. T20 is a fast-paced, high-risk game where every player selected to represent the country is molded to perform optimally. This is where Team India deserves applause.
PC: NDTV Sports
- People closely following cricket in India would know Gautam Gambhir as an extremely combative, competitive, and intense cricketer, having proved his unquestionable mettle right through his playing career. The intensity with which Gambhir played has been firmly adopted in his role as coach, first at the IPL franchise and now as the Team India Head Coach as well. His strong insistence and belief about placing team over individual, results over milestones, and diluting superstar culture have yielded tremendous results ever since he assumed the mantle of Head Coach. Let’s dissect those mantras to comprehend how Team India has succeeded in accepting the same and striving hard to deliver the results by wholeheartedly embracing the new culture introduced.
PC: Deccan Herald
- For instance, Sanju Samson, drafted in late into the playing XI in the recently concluded T20 World Cup, delivered a string of match-winning performances, showcasing a wide range of sublime stroke play in taking the fight to the opposition right from the word go. What is most gratifying is the way Sanju kept pressing the accelerator to score briskly even when he was nearing a personal milestone like a century. Remember, his scores were 97, 89, and 89 in three consecutive matches. This is the welcome proof of the individual placing the team over personal milestones. We have witnessed before how players used to slow down while approaching personal milestones. Not anymore. A team sport demands harmonious gelling of every player, even if endowed with superstars. Gautam Gambhir deserves to be applauded for ushering in such worthy measures.
