'Jo Aakhri Run Banata Hai Wo Hi Jitata Hain': Gambhir Recalls Harbhajan’s Heroics vs PAK, Dhoni Fans Call it ‘Hypocrisy’

Former India opener Gautam Gambhir has often reiterated that teamwork wins you matches and not individual performances, especially when he speaks about India’s World Cup victories under MS Dhoni’s leadership – in 2007 and 2011. He has openly criticized ‘hero worship’ in Indian cricket, also asking the media to focus on other performers than stars like Virat Kohli and Dhoni.

The fans and media mostly credit Dhoni for winning the 2011 World Cup final against Sri Lanka in Mumbai as the former captain hit the winning runs. Chasing 275, Gambhir scored a valuable 97 off 122 balls while Dhoni played an unbeaten knock of 91 runs. The latter smashed just 2 maximums in the big game and the second one scripted history.

Dhoni happens to be the centre of discussion whenever the people of India celebrate those two World Cup triumphs every year. But Gambhir’s opinion has always been different. In a conversation with News18 earlier in June, he was asked the same thing and the former cricketer said people seldom talk about Yuvraj Singh, who was the ‘Player of the Tournament’ in the 2007 and 2011 World Cups.

Gambhir didn’t take any name but said the PR machinery works in such a way that just one individual is being portrayed as the ‘hero’.

“It’s unfortunate that when we talk about the 2007 and 2011 World Cups, we don’t take Yuvraj Singh’s name. Why not? It’s only and only marketing and PR and portraying one individual as the biggest and everyone else as smaller than him,” he had said.

“We have been told who won us the 2007 and 2011 World Cups [but] it was not one individual it was the entire team. No one individual can win a big tournament. If that was the case, India would’ve had 5-10 World Cups.”

But now the former India opener seems to have contradicted himself after what he said on Saturday in Kandy. While calling for the India vs Pakistan Asia Cup 2023 tie, Gambhir credited former off-spinner Harbhajan Singh for winning the game against arch-rivals in the 2010 edition of the continental event.

When the visuals of that face-off appeared on the TV screens, Gambhir said neither his 83-run knock nor the partnership with Dhoni mattered more than Harbhajan Singh’s match-winning six.

“Jitaya maine nahi, jitaya Harbhajan Singh ne tha. Mere aur Dhoni ke beech sajedari zarur huyi thi but mera manna hai ki jo aakhri run banata hain wohi jitata hain (I did not win that match for India. It was Harbhajan. Yes I did get a partnership with Dhoni but I believe that the batter who scores the winning run actually clinches victory for the team),” he said.

The comment was enough for Dhoni fans to spot the ‘hypocrisy’. Here’s how they all reacted.

Back in 2010, India were chasing 268 in the Asia Cup tie against Pakistan in which Gambhir joined hands with Dhoni to revive the Indian innings with a 102-run stand. But Harbhajan smashed a six in the penultimate ball against Mohammad Amir to help India win by three wickets.