Gautam Gambhir has been a voracious opposer of hero worship in Indian cricket, often reiterating that instead of focusing on top stars like MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli, it is time for media and fans to focus on other performers in the team as well.
Last year, in an interview with Indian Express, Gambhir said that hero worship began back in 1983 when India won the ODI World Cup for the first time and the victory was made all about the captain, Kapil Dev.
He then pointed out the same for the 2007 T20 World Cup win and 2011 ODI World Cup haul, with Dhoni being the center of attention even now when India celebrates those two wins every year.
Then again, three months back, Gambhir spoke about how Yuvraj Singh’s contribution to India's World Cup wins in 2007 and 2011 is often overlooked by the fans and media, while talking to News18.
He opined that one individual and his PR team made him the hero of the two trophy hauls but in reality, it was Yuvraj's all-round contribution that saw India make the final of both tournaments.
On Saturday, Gambhir once again spoke about the same matter during the India v Pakistan game in Asia Cup 2023, when he was talking about an encounter between the two sides in the 2010 edition of the tournament. And Dhoni fans were quick to point out the ‘hypocrisy’.
While chasing 268 runs against Pakistan in Dambulla, India had lost Virender Sehwag and Virat Kohli early. But then Gambhir (83) and MS Dhoni (56) came together to add 98 runs for the 3rd wicket and stabilize the innings.
Then contributions from Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina took India closer to the target and Harbhajan Singh finished the game with a huge six, as India won by 3 wickets.
When the scorecard of that 2010 thriller was flashed live on TV by the broadcasters, Gambhir was hailed for his knock as he was awarded the Player of the Match for his 83-run knock.
But the veteran opener humbly shifted the limelight on Harbhajan, pointing out that he scored the winning run, and that mattered more than his knock and his partnership with Dhoni.
"Jitaya maine nehi, jitaya Harbhajan Singh ne tha. Meri aur Dhoni ke beech sajidari zarur huyi thi but mera manna hain ki jo aankhri run banata hain wohi jitata hain (I did not win that match for India. It was Harbhajan. Yes I did get a partnership with Dhoni but I believe that the batter who scores the winning run clinches victory for the team)," he said.
However, fans were quick to point out Gambhir’s hypocrisy over one shot not winning the match and shared their reactions on social media.
