New Delhi: India head coach Gautam Gambhir revealed that he drew from his own difficult phase during the 2014 Indian Premier League to help young opener Abhishek Sharma regain confidence during the T20 World Cup.
Abhishek had a challenging start to the tournament, registering three consecutive ducks in his first three innings. However, he later bounced back strongly in the latter half of the competition, scoring two half-centuries, including a crucial knock in the final.
India eventually defeated New Zealand national cricket team in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium to lift their third T20 World Cup title.
Gambhir shared his own difficult phase
Speaking in an interview with JioStar, Gambhir said he reminded Abhishek of his own struggles during the 2014 season of the Indian Premier League.
The former Indian opener recalled that he himself had endured a terrible start in IPL 2014 while captaining Kolkata Knight Riders.
According to Gambhir, he was dismissed for three consecutive ducks and then scored just one run in the fourth match.
“I’ve had a worse experience than him in 2014 during the IPL when I got three ducks in a row and then another in the fourth game as well,” Gambhir said.
He explained that his message to Abhishek was simple — poor scores do not always mean poor form.
“People will look at your scores and talk about your form, but actually you are not out of form, you are just out of runs,” he added.
Encouraging aggressive intent
Gambhir also advised Abhishek not to hold back despite the early failures.
He told the young batter that form could only be properly judged after spending enough time at the crease.
“The only time you can judge your form is when you have played 20 to 30 balls in the middle, and he hadn’t even faced 20 balls yet,” Gambhir explained.
Instead of playing cautiously, the coach encouraged him to maintain his aggressive approach in the next matches.
“All I wanted him to do was go out there in the next game and be even more aggressive compared to what he was in the previous game,” Gambhir said.
Trust-based selection philosophy
In another interview with Aaj Tak, Gambhir emphasised that the team management selected players based on trust rather than short-term results.
He said the coaching staff and selectors believed strongly in backing players even during difficult phases.
“Look, you pick players based on trust and faith, not on hope. If you pick someone based on trust and faith, you cannot take that away after four or five matches,” he said.
According to Gambhir, the same philosophy applied to all members of the squad.
“Whether it’s Abhishek or any of the 15 players in that dressing room, we trust all of them,” he added.
Abhishek’s turnaround in the tournament
After his disappointing start, Abhishek eventually found his rhythm in the latter part of the tournament.
The left-handed opener played two important half-century knocks, including one in the final that helped India build momentum in the decisive match.
His recovery from three early ducks to a match-winning performance was widely praised by fans and cricket experts.
Lessons from Gambhir’s IPL comeback
Gambhir’s own turnaround during the 2014 IPL season eventually became one of the examples he used to inspire players.
Despite the poor start, he finished the season with 335 runs in 16 matches at an average of 22.33 and a strike rate of 114.33, including three half-centuries.
More importantly, his team went on to win the IPL title that year.
The experience, Gambhir said, helped him understand the psychological challenges players face during lean phases and reinforced the importance of patience and belief.
Faith in the squad
According to Gambhir, there was never any doubt within the dressing room about Abhishek’s ability.
The coach said the team management always had faith in every player selected to represent India in the tournament.
“There was no doubt whatsoever about Abhishek. In that dressing room, we always had faith and trust in everyone who was selected to represent the country in the T20 World Cup,” Gambhir said.
His remarks underline the role of mental resilience and team support in helping players overcome early setbacks and perform on the biggest stage.
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