"I think our obsession with stats is one of the biggest reasons why we have not won an ICC tournament in so many years" - Gautam Gambhir 

Gautam Gambhir has opined that India's obsession with statistics and milestones is among one of the reasons why ICC silverware has continued to elude them for a decade. The Men in Blue last laid hands on an ICC trophy in the form of the 2013 Champions Trophy in England under MS Dhoni.

Team India have arguably gone from strength to strength since then across formats, making it to the knockout stages of ICC events on a consistent basis, but have faltered when it matters the most. In the recent past, they lost two successive World Test Championship (WTC) finals and lost in the semi-finals of the 2019 ODI World Cup and the 2022 T20 World Cup.

The subject of personal milestones came into effect after KL Rahul missed out on a well-deserved century by three runs in Team India's six-wicket win over Australia in the 2023 ODI World Cup. The wicketkeeper-batter hit a six to wrap up the contest but soon hunched down on his knees knowing that he missed out on the three-figure mark and dished out a wry smile in the end.

Criticizing the hype surrounding milestones, Gambhir said in an exclusive interaction with Sportskeeda:

"If you score 30, 40 or even 140, what matters in the end is whether the team won or not. I think our obsession with stats is one of the biggest reasons why we have not won a ICC tournament in so many years."

"For me, it really does not matter whether you score a hundred or you score whatever you end up scoring, if the team ends up winning. If you are staying until the end to take the team to victory, that is all that matters. Let's get done with his obsession over stats. Scoring a hundred does not matter, whether you can take your team to victory or not, that matters," he added.

Along with KL Rahul, ace batter Virat Kohli also missed out on a ton. He was dismissed by Josh Hazlewood for 85 just as Team India were inching towards the 200-run target.

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"I will not look too much into Kishan and Iyer's performance" - Gautam Gambhir on nerves playing a role in the performance of the debutants

There were a slew of players in the Indian squad who were playing their maiden ODI World Cup encounter, including the likes of Mohammed Siraj, Shreyas Iyer, and Ishan Kishan.

Kishan and Shreyas departed without scoring, reducing Team India to 2-3 in the early stages of the run chase.

Gambhir revealed that he was also nervous during his maiden ODI World Cup encounter against Bangladesh at the 2011 World Cup. He said in defense of Kishan and Shreyas:

"It could be nerves. When you playing in the World Cup match against Australia, it is a big occasion for the youngsters. So, you have to give it to them, it is okay. It can happen to any player. When I went out to play my first World Cup match in Dhaka, I was nervous as well. The nerves settled after I played my first ball. So, I will not look too much into Kishan and Iyer's performance."

Further stating that the duo have already proven themselves to be part of the World Cup squad, Gambhir continued:

"These two players have performed quite well, and that is why they are in the World Cup squad, and that is why they have a place in the playing XI. I believe that once the first run is scored or a good shot is played, things will get better."

Ishan Kishan is likely to have another shot at the top of the order, with first-choice option Shubman Gill ruled out of the upcoming clash against Afghanistan as well due to a bout of dengue.