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Gautam Gambhir, a former Indian batsman, has criticized the obsession with statistics in the country and won't get results until they let it go.
In an interview during the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, Gambhir said that the problem lies when a player's performance is under-shown and under-valued. "People who say it was an underrated knock are the people who undervalue and underappreciate. Nothing is underrated, it is under-shown and under-valued, and that is where the problem lies. The country is obsessed with stats. Till the time you let go of the obsession with stats till then you won't get results," Gambhir said. Today, the Indian cricket team is full of stars and there are many upcoming also. It has become a race to maintain their form or consistency in every match otherwise many are waiting to replace them in the Indian team. They may choke under pressure because they don't play in many pressure situations. The Indian cricket team may also face subliminal pressure. For example, the home team advantage can be a morale booster, but it can also be a burden. The former India player attacked the media and said that the 'Men in Blue' have not won a World Cup since the broadcaster has become a PR machinery towards certain players. He added that every player works hard to represent India and when the broadcaster becomes a PR agent for a certain player then it would affect other cricketers and they can't speak out openly. "It's been a long time since India won a World Cup and the bitter truth is our media and importantly the social media, if they become a PR machinery for certain individuals then you will never get the result. Every member of the squad works hard to represent India, and if a broadcaster becomes a PR machinery of 1-2 players then the other members of the squad won't be able to speak out openly," he added. The 42-year-old added that it is a crime when someone else gets one's credit. He lambasted the broadcaster and said that they couldn't be PR machinery and needed to be fair towards everyone. He further added that everyone in the squad should be looked at equally. "One of the biggest crimes is to give one's credit to someone else. Every player deserves to get their credits. Broadcaster can never be a PR machinery, they need to be fair to everyone sitting in that dressing room cause everyone works hard. They need to value equally and not only one or two individuals. Social media decides who should get credits or not and this is not right. Till the time we look at all the members of the squad equally," he added. Talking about his World Cup win in 2011 and said that there were not many social media at that time and the broadcaster was not so self or individual-obsessed. He talked about one change and pointed out how the country has become a bowling-obsessed nation from a batting one. He added that Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Siraj are getting their deserved appreciation for their performance at the ODI World Cup 2023. In the end, he questioned who wants to become a bowler if the country stays obsessed with batters only. 'The time when becoming a team-obsessed nation then only we will win a World Cup. At my time it was very different, there was not of many social media in 2011. At my time the broadcaster was not so self or individual-obsessed. In this World Cup one thing has changed which is we have become a bowling-obsessed nation from a batting one. Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Siraj are getting the appreciation. Now they are getting the credit that they deserve. If you only be obsessed with batter, then who wants to become a bowler," he concluded. (ANI)
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