Gautam Gambhir Makes Shocking Revelation, Says 'I Sometimes Wanted Confrontation Because…'

Indian men’s cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir was a fierce competitor during his playing days who never used to shy away from giving back to the opposition players when triggered on the field. On a number of occasions in the past, he was seen getting engaged in a verbal battle with opposition players.

The 42-year-old cricketer made a shocking revelation about his on-field behaviour on Wednesday (September 18) during a special interview with Virat Kohli and said that he sometimes wanted to have confrontations with the players because it used to help him get into the zone.

“I sometimes wanted confrontation, honestly. Sometimes, that confrontation can get you into the zone too. That’s the reason. I don’t think you or I would want to change that. If someone asked you, ‘Do you regret having so many confrontations with the opposition?’ you would probably say, ‘Not at all.’ It’s about how you can get the result, how you can score runs. I don’t think I’ve ever had a confrontation that took me out of the zone. It has probably helped me more than it has hurt me,” Gambhir told Kohli when asked if a chat with the opposition player used to take him out of the zone or motivate more.

Gambhir, who succeeded Rahul Dravid as the head coach of the Indian men’s cricket team in July, also talked about his 97-run knock in the ODI World Cup 2011 final in Mumbai against Sri Lanka. He said that when he got out, he was sad not because he missed out on the chance of becoming the first Indian batter to score a century in the World Cup final but because his wicket gave a chance to Sri Lanka to make a comeback in the match.

“When people ask me why I played that shot, the reason is that before that shot, I was only thinking about what we needed for the chase. But when you reach 97, you start thinking, “I’m just one shot away from my milestone.” You start wondering how you’re going to celebrate—the first Indian to score 100 in a World Cup final. The disappointment wasn’t missing out on the 100; the disappointment was giving the opposition a breather, letting them back into the game.”