NEW DELHI: Former India opener Gautam Gambhir just lately shared a defining second from his early cricketing days that formed his rules and profession.
In an interview on Ravichandran Ashwin‘s YouTube channel, Gambhir recounted how he was not chosen for an Below-14 crew as a result of he refused to the touch the ft of the selector. This incident solidified his resolve to by no means contact anybody’s ft once more.
“After I was rising up, after I was 12, 13, I keep in mind my first Below-14 match.I didn’t get chosen as a result of I didn’t contact the selector’s ft, and from there on, I promised myself that I’ll by no means ever contact anybody’s ft. I didn’t and don’t ever let anybody contact my ft,” Gambhir mentioned. This choice, rooted in a want for self-respect, influenced how he approached his interactions all through his profession.Gambhir, presently serving as a mentor for the Kolkata Knight Riders, mirrored on the challenges he confronted on account of societal perceptions about his background. Regardless of coming from a well-off household, he emphasised his dedication to cricket and his willpower to succeed on his phrases.
“Each time, whether or not it was Below-16, Below-19, Ranji Trophy, and even initially in my worldwide profession, each time I might fail, folks would say that you simply come from a household the place you need not play cricket. You’ll be able to go and be a part of your dad’s enterprise,” Gambhir mentioned. “That was the largest notion that was hanging over my head, and other people didn’t notice that I needed it greater than them as a result of I needed to beat that notion.”
In an interview on Ravichandran Ashwin‘s YouTube channel, Gambhir recounted how he was not chosen for an Below-14 crew as a result of he refused to the touch the ft of the selector. This incident solidified his resolve to by no means contact anybody’s ft once more.
“After I was rising up, after I was 12, 13, I keep in mind my first Below-14 match.I didn’t get chosen as a result of I didn’t contact the selector’s ft, and from there on, I promised myself that I’ll by no means ever contact anybody’s ft. I didn’t and don’t ever let anybody contact my ft,” Gambhir mentioned. This choice, rooted in a want for self-respect, influenced how he approached his interactions all through his profession.Gambhir, presently serving as a mentor for the Kolkata Knight Riders, mirrored on the challenges he confronted on account of societal perceptions about his background. Regardless of coming from a well-off household, he emphasised his dedication to cricket and his willpower to succeed on his phrases.
“Each time, whether or not it was Below-16, Below-19, Ranji Trophy, and even initially in my worldwide profession, each time I might fail, folks would say that you simply come from a household the place you need not play cricket. You’ll be able to go and be a part of your dad’s enterprise,” Gambhir mentioned. “That was the largest notion that was hanging over my head, and other people didn’t notice that I needed it greater than them as a result of I needed to beat that notion.”
Gambhir highlighted that his resolve to beat this stereotype drove him to work tougher and obtain extra in his cricketing profession.
“After I was in a position to beat that notion, no different notion ever bothered me. For me, the hardest notion in my profession or in my life was to beat that notion the place folks thought that I didn’t need it that arduous, and I needed it extra laborious than any of them,” he added.
Below Gambhir’s mentorship, the Kolkata Knight Riders completed the league stage as table-toppers with 20 factors from 14 matches within the IPL 2024.
