Sanju's 97 against WI was turning point of this campaign: Coach Gautam Gambhir

India head coach Gautam Gambhir credited Sanju Samsonrsquos crucial 97 against the West Indies as the turning point in Indiarsquos triumphant campaign at the ICC Mens T20 World Cup which concluded with the hosts lifting their third record title after defeating New Zealand in AhmedabadGambhir reflected on the emotional significance of winning a World Cup as Indiarsquos head coach describing it as a privilege to contribute to the country once again in national coloursldquoI could have never thought about winning a World Cup as a coach I never thought I would get the opportunity or privilege to be the head coach of the Indian team because itrsquos an absolute privilege to again wear the India jersey or do something special for the countryrdquo Gambhir said on JioStarThe former India opener emphasised the emotional connection to representing the nation adding that recognition from family and the pride of millions of fans made the achievement even more special ldquoWhen your mom wishes you and tells you lsquowell donersquo thatrsquos what you play for and what you live for as well What bigger feeling is there than making 140 crore Indians proudrdquo he saidGambhir also reiterated a message he consistently delivered to the squad throughout the tournament mdash that representing India is a privilege rather than an entitlementldquoIrsquove always believed that and Irsquove always told the boys as well that being in that dressing room is a privilege not an entitlement Thousands of people would want to be in my position as the head coach of the Indian team and many would want to be in the position the players are inrdquo he addedAccording to Gambhir Indiarsquos success was built not just on results but on the fearless approach the players adopted during the tournament He also explained that the teamrsquos focus was on creating impact rather than chasing individual milestonesldquoI think more than the win it was the way the boys adapted to the ideology and philosophy of being highrisk highreward From day one I had a very strong belief that the T20 format is about impact Itrsquos not about milestones or individual performances Itrsquos about going out there and creating an impact whether itrsquos on the field with the ball or with the batrdquo Gambhir notedHe also stressed the importance of staying in the present moment during the shortest game format ldquoThe simple ideology throughout this World Cup was that if we could stay in the present and try to control each delivery Whatever has gone will never come back and you cannot control whatrsquos going to come in the future Even if you get hit for five sixes the next delivery could be the gamechanging momentrdquo he statedWhile several performances shaped Indiarsquos campaign Gambhir singled out Samsonrsquos innings against the West Indies as the defining moment and pointed out that the match effectively served as a knockout fixture for IndialdquoItrsquos very difficult to say but I still believe that Sanjursquos 97 against West Indies was the turning point of this campaign It was a virtual quarterfinal Chasing 195 in a World Cup game is never easy irrespective of the groundrdquo Gambhir explainedSamsonrsquos calm approach he said changed the mood in the dressing room and praised Ishan Kishan for his contribution during the chaseldquoWith the ease and calmness with which he batted it gave us a lot of confidence in the group that now we were probably on the right track When Sanju got going and the way Ishan Kishan batted at number three a lot of things actually started taking shaperdquo Gambhir addedAnother factor behind Indiarsquos success Gambhir said was the playersrsquo willingness to adapt to different roles and batting positions throughout the tournamentldquoOne thing which will stay with me for the rest of my life is how comfortably the boys accepted different batting positionsrdquo he saidThe coach highlighted that the flexibility began with captain Hardik Pandya who was willing to adjust his role to meet the teamrsquos needsldquoAgainst England in the semifinal Shivam got promoted and Surya was absolutely fine with it In the final Hardik was promoted and the captain was fine with itrdquo Gambhir saidHe also cited examples of players such as Tilak Varma and Shivam Dube batting across multiple positions depending on the situationldquoTilak started at number three then batted at five six and even seven and the same with Shivam who batted from number four to seven That is what team sport is all aboutrdquo he saidGambhir also reserved special praise for Indiarsquos pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah who played multiple roles with the ball throughout the tournamentldquoJasprit started with the new ball bowled in the middle and delivered the tough overs as wellrdquo Gambhir said ldquoAt different stages in the competition players were given different roles and they adapted beautifullyrdquoAccording to the head coach it was this combination of fearless cricket adaptability and key performances that ultimately powered India to a historic T20 World Cup triumph on home soilThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever