“We have to finish their thing off” - When Gautam Gambhir dropped a bombshell on India’s 2011 World Cup win

Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir is among the most outspoken in the cricketing community, and hence, it was no surprise when he dropped a bombshell about the side's 2011 ODI World Cup 11 years later. The former left-hander revealed that several senior players in India's World Cup squad wanted to win the tournament badly to remove the limelight from the heroes of 1983.

The Men in Blue had won their first and at that point, only, ODI World Cup in England in 1983, led by Kapil Dev. However, the 2011 side finally ended the drought and the home curse in World Cups with their triumph in India.

Talking about the same in a conversation with the Indian Express in 2022, Gambhir said (via India Today):

"Two or three senior players came to me and said 'we need to win this tournament because we have to take the conversation away from 1983. We have to finish their thing off'. I said I haven’t come here to finish anyone. I haven’t come here to shorten someone’s line."

He added:

"I want to win this to extend our line. If the media is giving them jobs from 1983 to 2011, that’s the media’s problem, not ours. We need to win the World Cup because we want this country to be happy. That is something which needs to change in the future."

India had to fight through a challenging knockout stage, defeating Australia, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka in the quarterfinal, semifinal, and final to lift the trophy at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Gautam Gambhir starred for India throughout the 2011 World Cup

Gautam Gambhir was a model of consistency in India's triumphant 2011 ODI World Cup [Credit: Getty]

Gautam Gambhir had a 2011 World Cup to remember with the bat, finishing as India's second leading run-scorer in the tournament. The southpaw batted at the crucial No. 3 position and amassed 393 runs at an average of almost 44, including four half-centuries, in nine matches.

Gambhir was at his best during the knockout stages, with a crucial 64-ball 50 against Australia in the quarterfinal and 122-ball 97 in the final against Sri Lanka. The left-hander's other two half-centuries came against England and South Africa during the league stage.

Despite his impressive efforts, the 2011 edition was the lone ODI World Cup of his career.