Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir dedicated the T20 World Cup win to Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Ajit Agarkar, and Jay Shah. Gambhir talked about the contributions of each of the four. India defeated New Zealand in the final of the T20 World Cup 2026 in Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The ‘Men in Blue’ won the match one-sidedly, winning by 96 runs. Gambhir, in the press conference, talked about how Dravid left the team in great shape and how Laxman has been silently working in the Centre of Excellence (CoE).
Watch: Gambhir Dedicates Win to Dravid, Laxman, Agarkar, and Shah
Hear Gautam Gambhir’s raw reactions after winning the ICC Men’s #T20WorldCup 2026! 🎙️ pic.twitter.com/Cs1kokSSRT
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In his statement, Gambhir said, “I think first of all I should dedicate this trophy to Rahul (Dravid) bhai, and then to Laxman bhai.” The Indian head coach talked about the individual contributions of both Dravid and Laxman. “Because what Rahul bhai has done to keep Indian cricket in such a good shape during his tenure, I have to thank him for everything. And then VVS Laxman for unconditionally doing so much for Indian cricket behind the doors, because the CoE remains the pipeline for Indian cricket,” he added.
Gambhir then went on to thank and dedicate the win to Ajit Agarkar and Jay Shah. He said, “And third is obviously Ajit Agarkar, because he does take a lot of flak, but the amount of honesty he has worked with. And last but not least, I have to thank Jay [Shah] bhai, because not many people have actually called me when I went through the lowest moments in my tenure, whether it was after New Zealand, whether it was after South Africa, the only person who called me actually was Jay bhai. And I have to thank him for trusting me with this job, because I very well remember this, that when I was given this job, I had no experience of being the head coach of any franchise or any team, but trusting me with this job, so I have to thank these guys. And I think till these guys are there, I think Indian cricket is in very, very safe hands.”
Gambhir talks about the contribution of players
Even though the Indian team had won the T20 World Cup in 2024, it was Gambhir, along with Suryakumar Yadav, who transformed the Indian team into playing fearlessly. The Indian head coach talked about how it was crucial to play high-risk cricket. The Indian head coach said, “First of all, it’s the players who have made me win. And I’ve been saying for a long time that you are as good a coach or captain as your players are. So I think the credit needs to go to the players for the way, the professionalism and, most importantly, the bravery with which this tournament was played. As the captain said, in bilateral, we used to play in different ways, but in ICC tournaments, we play in different ways. That was one thing we wanted to change and I’m sure everyone has seen that. If you make more than 250 runs in the semi-final and final, it just shows the quality and bravery and courage with which this tournament was played.”
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