I would have liked Indian batsmen to be aggressive even if they had been all out for 150: Gambhir

With the dust having settled after India’s heartbreaking loss in the final of World Cup 2023, cricketing experts are now attempting to dissect and analyse what went wrong. Gautham Gambhir, whose performance with the bat earned India 2 world cup titles opined on the intent of the batsmen during the final. “I would have actually liked India going really aggressive with their top 6-7 batters even if they had been all out for 150. I would have been fine. But if you feel you can defend 240 in a World Cup final...that is not where you fight. It is either this way or that. Either we go 150 all out or 300. That is where India has lacked. That is where India have not gone on to win ICC tournaments. Rohit should have sent the message before the game that even if I get out we should go aggressive,” Gambhir told Sportskeeda.

He mentioned that modern cricket involves greater risks than in the 1990s wherein such a score was still competitive. He highlighted that KL Rahul’s innings could have been more aggressive when Virat Kohli was playing the role of an anchor on the opposite end. “It's a double-edged sword. But I have always said this, the most courageous team will go on to win the World Cup. I can understand that you need time to build a partnership but 11 to 40 overs is a very, very long time. Someone should have taken that risk,” he said.