New Delhi: India head coach Gautam Gambhir appeared to have taken a dig at MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli as he spoke about how individual contributions have been highlighted in Indian cricket over the years. Gambhir insisted that in a team sport like cricket, every contribution, whether small or big, deserves equal mention, which he feels has been missing in Indian cricket for a long time.
Gambhir’s comments came after India rode on Sanju Samson’s brilliant knock of unbeaten 97 runs and vital contributions from the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Tilak Varma and Shivam Dube to beat West Indies by 5 wickets in their must-win Super 8 clash in the T20 World Cup 2026 on Sunday.
India beat West Indies to qualify for the semifinals of the tournament for the third edition in a row. Dube remained unbeaten on 8 off 4 balls after arriving at no.7 in the 19th over, with India needing 17 runs to win off the last 10 balls. He slammed two crucial boundaries against pacer Samar Joseph in the over to bring the equation down to 7 needed of the last six balls.
Gambhir said no one would have been talking about Samson’s unbeaten 87 off 48 balls had it not been for the two crucial boundaries from Dube in the 19th over. Samson was arguably the star of India’s victory with his terrific knock, but Gambhir said everyone who contributed deserved the credit.
“Glad you’re talking about every contribution because for many years, we’ve only spoken about certain contributions. This is a team sport, and this will always remain a team sport,” Gambhir said, responding to a query from a reporter in the post-match presser although without referring to the certain contributions.
“For me, Shivam’s two boundaries are as important as Sanju’s 97 because if he hadn’t hit those two boundaries, you won’t even spoken about it (97-run knock). The big contribution makes headlines. The small contribution, the contribution that can help the team win, cross that line, are very important,” Gambhir added, underlining his philosophy.
The India head coach said he will uphold the same philosophy in the dressing room till the time he is with the team, making it clear that there won’t be any special praise for big contributions, irrespective of the magnitude.
“And that’s why I say that this is going to be the philosophy going forward till I am there,” said Gambhir.
A dig on Dhoni, Kohli?
Many feel Gambhir’s comments about the focus on only certain individual contributions in Indian cricket were an indirect dig at the former captains MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli. Gambhir has often expressed his frustration over Dhoni being credited for India’s memorable ODI World Cup triumph in 2011. India won their second ODI World Cup title after beating Sri Lanka in the final in 2011 under Dhoni’s captaincy.
Gambhir has maintained that the credit should go to the entire team and not Dhoni alone for India’s victory. Gambhir has often reiterated his stance despite Dhoni never publicly claiming the credit for India’s 2011 ODI World Cup victory. The former India skipper has always maintained it was a team effort, while often crediting the likes of Yuvraj Singh, Sachin Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan, among others.
Gambhir has also often targeted Kohli in the past for playing for personal milestones and not the team. The Indian head coach had said individual performances don’t matter to him if the results don’t go the team’s way. He had also hit back when Kohli was singled out for credit after one of India’s victory, stating that several other players in the team contributed.