Gautam Gambhir: Our boys have not been able to handle the pressure

Former Indian cricketer and opening batsman Gautam Gambhir has been a player who has seen major pressure during big tournaments and also handled it well Gambhir went on to star in the 2011 World Cup final against Sri LankaThe 38yearold former Delhi cricketer scored 97 runs off 122 balls as the MS Dhoniled side ended Indias World Cup drought of 28 years by lifting the trophyThe former lefthanded batsman was part of Indias successful campaign at the 2007 World T20 where he was the secondhighest scorer in the tournament with 227 runs in seven innings He scored 75 runs from 54 balls in the final against Pakistan which India won at the WanderersSpeaking exclusively on Star Sports show Cricket Connected former India opener Gautam Gambhir talks about Indian players handling pressure at big tournaments What sets you apart from being a good player to being a very very good player in a team squad is what you do on those crucial games I think probably we have not been able to handle the pressure probably other teams have been able to handle the pressure that way If you look at all the semifinals and finals it just shows when playing really well in the league stage and you dont play well in the semifinals or knockouts itrsquos probably your mental toughness as well We can keep talking that wersquove got everything we have the ability to be the world champions but till the time you dont go on the cricket field and prove that you will never be called the world champions So its just your ability in those crunch situations Ive always said this in bilaterals and league stages you have got probably a chance to make the mistake come to the knockout stages you dont have a chance to make a mistake you make a mistake and youre going back home So thats where beliefs come into play and that where India lacks in all those crucial gamesGambhir who made his international debut for India in 2003 played 58 Tests 147 ODIs and 37 T20Is in which he scored 4154 5238 and 932 runs respectivelyLaxmans tribute to GambhirLast week former cricketer VVS Laxman paid tribute to Gambhir in a tweet Massively inquisitive and totally obsessed with the game Gautam Gambhir never shied away from a challenge on a cricket field Whether it was taking on express pace bowlers on spicy tracks overseas or standing up for a wronged teammate he knew not what it was to back down Laxman said on TwitterMassively inquisitive and totally obsessed with the game GautamGambhir never shied away from a challenge on a cricket field Whether it was taking on express pace bowlers on spicy tracks overseas or standing up for a wronged teammate he knew not what it was to back down pictwittercomRlZlGbucp1mdash VVS Laxman VVSLaxman281 June 11 2020Bharat Arun on no saliva rule Have to unlearn the habitIndian cricket teamrsquos bowling coach Bharat Arun spoke about the no saliva rule When they bowlers get the ball in their hand they are used to shining the ball with saliva But now they have to unlearn this habitBharat ArunBharat Arun also spoke about current generation of Indian fast bowlers how are they being nurtured and the evolution in training methods Kapil Dev was naturally gifted He was an outstanding athlete Even though he did not do training like what the fast bowlers do now he did a few training aspects which helped him And now there is a lot more cricket than what it used to be earlier But all said and done for a quality player like Kapil Dev to play for so many years was a very rare phenomena He is truly a great cricketerCatch up on all the latest sports news and updates hereAlso download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news