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Following his side's record-breaking third T20 World Cup win, Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir spoke on his intention to "build a super team" instead of superstars.
The Indian head coach spoke to ANI following his side's win over New Zealand in the final at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium, which India won by 96 runs to become the first nation to defend the T20WC title and capture the prize as a home nation. Gambhir said that while "the media wants to create superstars, his job is to create a super team". He also said that he does not care about the broadcasting/social media numbers, TRPs and fan following but focuses on what players bring to the team and country. "That is a simple difference and that difference will always remain. The media wants to create superstars but my job as a head coach is to create a super team. And that is the only way I look at my profession because my job is to be absolutely fair, even and treat everyone exactly equally because those 15 people in that dressing room are absolutely equal to me," he said. "I do not look at the amount of runs they have got. I do not look at the amount of social media following they have. I do not look at what TRP they bring to the people or to the broadcaster. I only look at what they bring to the team and what they bring to the country. And that is why I feel that my job is to create a super team. And hopefully, till I finish my tenure, I will be able to create a super team," Gambhir said. Since Gambhir's arrival as head coach, there has been a significant shift from the superstar culture of the older days. Stalwarts like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin retired from Tests after a prolonged slump by the first half of 2025. Also, stars like Rohit, Virat (now ODI exclusive players), Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, current Test and ODI skipper Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya, Abhishek Sharma, among others, have marked their attendance in Indian domestic cricket, some of them after several years, to keep themselves match fit and in form. (ANI)
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