[ad_1]
Gautam Gambhir attacked “Heroes Worship” in Indian CricketHe believed the obsession with superstars like Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni and said broadcasters and media should focus on other performers as well.
Gambhir said without naming MS Dhoni that one of the individuals and his PR team made him the 2007 and 2011 World Cup champions, but in reality it was Yuvraj Singh who took India to the final of the tournament.
“(Yuvraj) always says I won the World Cup, but I think the man who took us to the 2011 and 2007 World Cups was Yuvraj Singh, and I think he was the man of the tournament in both tournaments,” he told News18.
“I’m not sure (although Yuvraj won the award in 2011, Shahid Afridi was the Man of the Tournament in the 2007 T20 World Cup). But it’s unfortunate that when we talk about the 2007 and 2011 World Cups, we don’t take Yuvraj Singh’s name. And why not? It’s just marketing and PR and portraying one individual as the biggest and everyone else as younger,” he said.
“No one is underestimated, it’s all in PR and marketing. We were told who won the World Cups 2007 and 2011 (but) it wasn’t one individual but the whole team. No individual can win a major tournament. If that’s the case, India would have participated in the World Cup from 5 to 10 titles.”
Gambhir also said that India was not a team obsessed country, but a people obsessed nation, which was the reason why a team had not won any ICC title for a long time.
“A lot of people wouldn’t say this but this is the truth and I think I have to say this because it has to come before the world: our country is not a country that is obsessed with the team but a country that is obsessed with the individual,” he said.
“We regard individuals as bigger than the team. In other countries, in England, Australia and New Zealand, the team is bigger than the individual. All stakeholders in Indian cricket, from the broadcaster and the media to everyone: they’ve all been reduced to a PR agency. If the broadcasters don’t give you Credit, you will always be underestimated. That’s the biggest truth. That’s why we haven’t won the ICC for a long time because we’re so obsessed with people.”
Gambhir said the cult of this hero dates back to 1983 to Kapil Dev when India won the World Cup.
How many people talk about Mohammed Amarnath? Ask any of these people, how many times have they seen Moinder Amarnath’s photo with the 1983 World Cup,” he said.
“How did Mohinder Amarnath ji perform in the World Cup? You only saw Kapil Dev ji lift the trophy, right? Mohinder Amarnath ji was the man of the match in the semi-final and the final. Did any of you know that Mohinder Amarnath ji was the man of the match in the final?” (answers Audience in no.) That’s the problem. To date, only one picture from the 1983 World Cup has been shown – Kapil Dev Ji lifting this trophy. Mohinder Amarnath Ji was shown as well sometimes!” he added.
[ad_2]
