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T20 World Cup 2026, IND vs NZ: Speaking exclusively to India Today’s sister channel AajTak, Gambhir said that a team can't succeed in T20 cricket with a subdued approach. On Sunday, India won the tournament after beating New Zealand by 96 runs in the final in Ahmedabad.
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00:00After yesterday's sensational win in the T20 Finals, India Today brings you Gautam Gambhir's exclusive interview.
00:07T20 World Cup winning coach speaks to India Today. The Guru Gambhir exclusive. Take a look.
00:23Team India has won the T20 World Cup Final.
00:25They have won the T20 World Cup.
00:27In which way, the team played the competition.
00:31The team's intent, the approach, the thought of all the things we have.
00:36And then, the head coach of the team, Gautam Gambhir.
00:39Gautam Gambhir, we have seen this team from 2004 into 2016.
00:43We have seen two years of wrestling in a different way.
00:46And when you're joined with them,
00:49it looks like an aggressive approach.
00:50When you joined the team, what was going on in the wide wall, especially in the T20 format or when
00:58we play ODI, what were you thinking about in this T20 format?
01:04Very simple, high risk high reward. In 120 or 240 games you can create the maximum impact.
01:13Because you have no chance to come back and ultimately you are subdued by T20 format.
01:19You are subdued and you can dominate. You can remain in your shell and dominate.
01:25As I said in the press conference, the difference between winning and losing is that when you have milestones, what
01:33do you batting?
01:34If you are thinking about milestones, you will reduce your team 15-20 runs.
01:42I think there is a difference between winning the World Cup and losing the World Cup.
01:46Before the World Cup, there was a little headache.
01:51Because during New Zealand, we saw that Sanju's runs were not coming.
01:54Then there was a chance to go there.
01:56But as a coach, you thought that Sanju's runs are not coming.
02:00The World Cup is still coming.
02:01What can we do for a better route?
02:04That was a little point of concern.
02:06I think it was a dream for any cricketer.
02:31If you talk about it, it was the other way around for Abhishek Shah.
02:34This is a T20 format.
02:38We judge how many runs are made to make the player run.
02:41The team management is the one which is the one which is the one which will create.
02:45The most important thing you have seen in your coaching is that you give the opportunity and back them.
02:52Abhishek was not the best run, but you have never thought that we need to change the team management.
02:57Even before yesterday, Abhishek has done it for Kamal Kipari.
03:01Do you think this is the biggest thing that players have to believe that team management is our captain?
03:07Look, if you pick the players, trust and faith, no hope.
03:12If you pick someone with trust and faith, then you can go far away in 4-5 matches.
03:18If you pick the players, then you can lose that hope.
03:21Abhishek has done it in the dressing room with 15 or 15 players.
03:25They all have so much trust that when they get the opportunity,
03:27they will deliver a different stage of the competition.
03:30The important thing of this team was to keep their team up.
03:35If you look at Abhishek, you can see Abhishek's run.
03:39But if you ask me as a coach,
03:42there is no match that Abhishek has done 20 runs in 20 balls.
03:46He has done 20 runs in 20 balls.
03:47He has done 20 runs in 20 balls.
03:47As compared to Abhishek has done 20 runs.
03:51The simple message was that if you don't have a run,
03:54make sure you go to the next match.
03:55And play with more aggressive ways as compared to the shell.
03:59This is the ideology.
04:00This is a very bad idea.
04:02So, we have seen that 20-30 runs are so many runs.
04:05And I hope that in the future,
04:07there will be an ideology in this format.
04:10And hopefully, in 50-over format.
04:12You have played the world cup and won.
04:15And as a coach,
04:16you have lifted the trophy.
04:20What was that special?
04:21As a player, you were playing the world cup
04:23or as a coach?
04:27As a player, you always wanted to win the world cup.
04:31But as a coach,
04:32I never thought that as a coach,
04:33I would get this opportunity to become a head coach.
04:37And I will become a head coach for India.
04:38And I will become a world cup winning coach.
04:40But the coach is more satisfactorily.
04:43Because in your hands,
04:43there are a lot of things in your hands.
04:45If you start math,
04:47then you will become a good player.
04:49And you will become a bad player.
04:50But as a player,
04:52you can control your performance.
04:54You can control your runs.
04:56How much you contribute to the field,
04:57you can control your performance.
05:00After 7-7 hours,
05:01there were no more things in my hands.
05:03I always told you that
05:06a coach or a captain is so good,
05:08the best team.
05:09And as a coach,
05:10I also told you that
05:11a coach and a captain is so good,
05:13the best team.
05:14Because
05:16if a coach or a captain comes from alone,
05:18then I think we won't die in any other world cup.
05:23Your team will base you in your team,
05:25and you will kill yourself.
05:26The team will make you a good man and your team is a bad man.
05:29Whatever you can give you with a secure environment,
05:31you should keep the people's back,
05:34you should keep faith and trust,
05:36then we start their own way.
05:38I think it's the place that you need to do the job.
05:40Absolutely
05:40In the last two years,
05:42there was many of you.
05:44You have seen your positive or negative results,
05:49whether you have a performance of red ball or other things.
05:53But we also see that as a coach,
05:57how many big trophies in this two years have come in.
06:01I think the criticism I was getting,
06:05that the team is on the right way,
06:07and the coach is doing better and better.
06:10The first thing is that my accountability is on the three kids,
06:16who are sitting in the dressing room.
06:20My accountability is not on social media.
06:24I am not on the coach of Indian team.
06:27The other thing is that if you talk about red ball cricket,
06:30if you don't see people's transition,
06:32that's not my fault.
06:34In the test team, there are so many kids,
06:37who are 22, 23, 23, 24 years old.
06:39It's not easy to test cricket.
06:41And in the test cricket,
06:42you have to give the kids time to develop.
06:45You can see how they retire.
06:47To replace them in six months,
06:50it's never easy.
06:52So if you have a coach as a coach as a coach,
06:56it's my responsibility to back them.
06:58But as a country,
06:59if we don't back these kids,
07:01then this transition is going too long.
07:03We will go to red ball cricket.
07:04And no doubt about white ball cricket.
07:06Because the talent of white ball cricket in India
07:08will come and play so much.
07:10And we play so many white ball cricket.
07:11So I think,
07:12as you talked about criticism,
07:14until I'm working with honesty,
07:16until I'm working with the kids,
07:19until I'm working with honesty,
07:19until I'm working with the kids,
07:19until I'm working with all things
07:21in Indian cricket and children,
07:22I don't think that I need to think about
07:24that criticism.
07:26Because ultimately,
07:27I will only give 39 kids
07:30and I will give you accountable.
07:32Last couple of questions.
07:34One thing is that,
07:35we are starting to see in 2027,
07:38because our expectations are increasing.
07:40Now we are winning.
07:41Back-to-back series.
07:42What will you do with ODIs?
07:45What will we do with all these strategies
07:47as a coach as a coach?
07:49Look, it's a lot of time.
07:50In fact,
07:51it's two months of the IPL break.
07:53Ultimately,
07:54yes, the planning will start in 2027,
07:57because we don't play a lot of one-day cricket.
07:59If you see,
08:00after the IPL,
08:01after World Cup 2027,
08:03we are playing 25 or 30 one-day?
08:06Yes,
08:07more than 25 or 30 one-day.
08:09There are no more one-day.
08:11There are no more one-day.
08:11This is a format,
08:13where we don't play a lot.
08:15So,
08:15I believe,
08:16as soon as we start planning
08:17in 2027,
08:19because the conditions are very different.
08:20South Africa is not an easy place.
08:23You will see combinations,
08:26and you will see players
08:27to suit those conditions.
08:29But obviously,
08:31selectors,
08:31headcoats,
08:32we will plan this.
08:33But now,
08:34there is a little time.
08:34I hope,
08:35that when IPL is finished,
08:37I think we will have a blueprint in front of us.
08:39Last question.
08:39I think,
08:40this is our wide-ball team.
08:43Let's take a different format,
08:44in T20.
08:46Today,
08:46this team has reached the world's best team.
08:50We are world champions.
08:51We have developed self-belief.
08:52How we developed a temperament.
08:55How we developed a temperament.
08:56How we developed a temperament.
08:56How we developed a temperament.
08:57How we developed a 1-70,
08:581-80.
08:59Now,
08:59we are trying to go 200 plus.
09:01The window was reduced.
09:03Now,
09:03we have improved it.
09:04How do we do this?
09:05How do we do this?
09:06Look,
09:06it's a very simple ideology.
09:07If you keep up the team,
09:09if you keep up the results,
09:11if you keep up the results of your runs,
09:14then you never think about your runs.
09:16It's a simple example.
09:18It's a very small example.
09:19If you take up the last three innings of Sanju,
09:2197,
09:2288,
09:2389,
09:24there will not be such a moment,
09:26where you are thinking about your 100,
09:28or you are thinking about your milestone.
09:30You are thinking about Ishan Kishan,
09:32all the players.
09:33At the same time,
09:33everybody is not feeling like
09:35a single from 48 or 49.
09:38It's a simple ideology.
09:40If you keep up the milestone,
09:41whether you are a team or a team,
09:44whether you are a footballer or a batsman,
09:46then we have the best chance to win the World Cup.
09:48But when you go to such a big tournament,
09:50your individual performances don't matter.
09:54If we don't win the World Cup,
09:55then no one remembers how much of Sanju has done,
09:58or how much of the Sheikh has played,
09:59or how many other individuals,
10:01or how many of the Boomerang has played.
10:02Today we are talking about all the performances,
10:04because today we are winning the Trophy.
10:06I believe that in the future,
10:08we celebrate the Trophies,
10:09which is very important,
10:10because in a team sport,
10:12the Trophies matter.
10:13The individual's work is to run,
10:14the individual's work is to win,
10:16the individual's work is to win.
10:17The individual's work is to win.
10:18The individual's work is to win.
10:18you appreciate them,
10:20and the team's work is to win.
10:20And that's why the team's performance is not really good.
10:24And I've seen even,
10:25the dressing room's life,
10:27the only thing is right now.
10:29I've seen the dressing room's life,
10:30so I've seen the dressing room's life.
10:34I'm not saying that the dressing room's life is good.
10:46and the important thing is that if you are reporting from a genuine way, then you will know how the
10:52mood is.
10:53The mood is the mood of Indian cricket and the mood is the mood of Indian cricket.
10:59There is so much scrutiny, so much limelight, so much media attention.
11:03These are all things that are said that the mood is not good.
11:08You need to say to me or to the captain.
11:12You need to automatically see travelling, practice sessions or interviews.
11:18You need to know how the mood is.
11:19You need to ask anyone.
11:21Absolutely.
11:22And who will you dedicate this as a coach?
11:26I think this as a coach.
11:30Look, there are a lot of people.
11:31If you ask me, obviously my family, because without their support, I don't think so I could have taken this
11:38job.
11:38It's very difficult if you ask me, for my wife as well,
11:42she is managing them alone.
11:47My mom died, but with that, I think Rahul has done a fabulous job with Indian cricket.
11:52Yes, today I am in this position, but the way he has carried Indian cricket,
11:56the way he has taken Indian cricket forward, for me, he is a very important person.
12:01VVS Laxman, we don't talk enough about him, because NCA and COE is still the pipeline for Indian cricket.
12:08And the way he has worked with honesty, Ajit Agarkar, because there is a lot of criticism of Ajit Agarkar.
12:14In the last one and a half years, the honesty he has shown and the honesty he has worked with,
12:20I think you have to appreciate him as well.
12:24And lastly, I think for me, I think Jay Shah.
12:26Jay Bhai, because I have also talked about this in the press conference,
12:30that I remember that in my tenure, I have seen a lot of lows.
12:34I have seen a lot of lows.
12:37I don't forget anything.
12:38BJT, I can say it very easily.
12:41Watergawaskar Trophy, New Zealand series, South Africa series.
12:45And when you are leaving at home, many people don't call you a phone.
12:49In fact, no one doesn't call you a phone.
12:52One time, when I was leaving, I didn't even call you a phone call,
12:57and I didn't even call you a phone call.
12:58And the most important thing, for trusting me,
13:00because when I offered this position,
13:03I can understand how much trust will be,
13:06that I have never become a team's head coach,
13:09I have never become a domestic coach,
13:11I have never become a franchise head coach.
13:13Despite of that, trusting me with this job,
13:16where there was so much of expectation,
13:18and I have to give it to him,
13:19and I have said it before as well.
13:21When people are in Indian cricket set-up,
13:25Indian cricket will always be in very safe hands.
13:28It doesn't matter what the rest of the people say.
13:31The people who are in the important positions,
13:33if they are working on an honest way,
13:35they don't have to worry about it.
13:36They don't have to worry about it.
13:37Whatever the transition you have in two years,
13:40they will be in good and honest people
13:41in one year or six months.
13:43So I believe that these four people,
13:45they are very important people,
13:48and they need to go credit for this World Cup.
13:51Thank you so much, Gautam Gambhir,
13:52and congratulations,
13:53and all the best for the next assignment.
13:55So this was Head Coach Gautam Gambhir,
13:57whose truth is,
13:58that the personal milestones
13:59do not make the team better,
14:01it makes the team better,
14:02it makes the team better,
14:02it makes the team better.
14:03From the end,
14:04that's it.
14:05And you just heard the Head Coach of the Indian team,
14:10Gautam Gambhir,
14:11speaking to my colleague Nitin Srivastav.
14:13The entire country celebrating yesterday's win,
14:16and we saw the celebrations come out on the roads
14:20late last night,
14:21as well as Team India won the T20 World Cup.
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