Gambhir's comment came after India defeated Pakistan by seven wickets in Dubai.
Team India pulled off a commanding seven-wicket victory over Pakistan in their second group-stage match of the Asia Cup 2025 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday (September 14).
Opting to bat first, Pakistan’s innings was restricted to 127/9 in 20 overs. Kuldeep Yadav (3-18) and Axar Patel (2-18) led the charge, tightening the screws with stunning spells. Jasprit Bumrah (2-28), Varun Chakaravarthy (1-24) and Hardik Pandya (1-34) shared the remaining five scalps among them.
In reply, the Men in Blue chased down the target with 25 deliveries to spare. While Abhishek Sharma stole the show with 13-ball 31 at the top, skipper Suryakumar Yadav finished the job with 37-ball 47*. Tilak Varma also contributed run-a-ball 31.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir, who was slammed for ignoring left-arm quick Arshdeep Singh in the XI to play an extra spinner, has now been garnering praises after the tweakers did an excellent job against the UAE and Pakistan.
After defeating the arch-rivals, Gambhir said it’s important to work with honesty in the dressing room and he has seen both good and bad days while being at the helm of affairs.
“I’ve had my good days and bad days as well. That is what coaching is all about. I knew this when I took up this coaching role. The important thing is to work honestly in that dressing room. We need honesty everywhere if Indian cricket has to move ahead – in the commentary box and studio as well,” Gambhir told Sony Sports.
“You only compare oranges with oranges. You don’t compare oranges with apples. Many people didn’t see the transition in our Test team. But ultimately, I kept backing the players. The entire support staff kept backing the players. Hopefully, we’ll keep getting the results in the future as well,” he added.
Reflecting on the win against Pakistan, Gambhir said: “You couldn’t have asked for a better performance, especially the way the bowlers bowled. We managed to restrict the opposition to 128 [127]. All the spinners, Jasprit Bumrah, in fact all the bowlers [did really well]. You back your batting line-up to chase 128. The way we started was very important and that is what good teams do. They turn up and keep doing right things day in and day out.”
Gambhir also paid tribute to the Indian Armed Forces while also showing solidarity with the victims of the Pahalgam attack.
“The match was important for us because as a team we wanted to show our solidarity to the families of the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack. For everything they have gone through. More importantly, we want to thank our armed forces for their successful Operation Sindoor, and I’m sure we will try and make our country proud and happy,” the coach remarked.