We’ve let people down: Gambhir
‘Sehwag will be aggressive captain’
After an embarrassing series defeat against Australia, opener Gautam Gambhir said on Tuesday that the team has let the nation down.
“We have let the entire nation down, and I will be the first one to accept it. There is a backlash happening back home and we are ready to accept it. We have given the opportunity to people to criticise us. We haven't played good cricket and not lived up to the expectations, given the batting we have," Gambhir said.
"We have let the common man down who expects us to perform and I accept it. We need to turn it around as quickly as possible," he said.
Gambhir said India would need to win matches abroad consistently to climb back to the number one spot. "I am not someone who would be hesitant to take the responsibility. I will be the first one to accept it. If you want to be the number one, you have to perform well and start winning overseas, whether England, South Africa or Australia," he said.
The left-handed opener said the team will be more happy to win the series than sit and watch personal milestones like Sachin Tendulkar’s hundredth 100.
"What makes us happy is winning the series, not Sachin's 100th hundred. If Sachin gets his hundred and we don't win, it isn't satisfying. It's all about winning the series rather than any individual performance."
Virender Sehwag will captain India in the Adelaide Test in the absence of regular skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who has been handed a one Test ban for slow over rate during the third Test at Perth. "He will be aggressive. But I have always believed a captain is as good as the team. There has been no great captain. It's not the captain who makes the difference.
“It's the eleven on the field who make a difference. It's not Dhoni, an individual who takes the blame if the entire team hasn't performed. It would be the same with Sehwag. It's the team that has to perform, not just him.”
Gambhir also said openers alone couldn’t be blamed for India’s defeats in the Tests. “Openers do help if they negotiate the new ball. It helps the rest of the batting. But they can't be blamed alone. I've already said I accept to have failed. But it's the entire batting unit, which has to take the responsibility.”
Credit to Australia
The Delhiite gave full credit to Australians for playing some very good cricket throughout the series. "It's been challenging. Australia is a tough place to tour. But a lot of credit goes to them. I will not be hesitant to accept it. They have played some very good cricket as a unit overall. They have always kept the pressure and not let us off the hook."
Gambhir also opined that the Indian team was capable of reversing the trend. “There's a lot of cricket left in this series. If we do well in Adelaide and take the momentum forward, we could make the difference in T20s and one-dayers. Hopefully, we can bring the smiles back on the faces of the people," he said.
