'When it matters the most, they just can't' - Gautam Gambhir reckons India lacks mental strength to succeed in big tournaments

Former India opener Gautam Gambhir reckons that despite having the skill, India lacks the mental toughness to win the big matches at the T20 World Cup. Gambhir’s comments come in the light of another comprehensive loss of India in their league stage fixture. Having lost by 10 wickets against Pakistan in their opening clash, the team suffered another humiliating defeat against New Zealand by eight wickets on October 31.

With two consecutive losses, India have messed up their qualification chances, with them needing plenty of things to work their way even though the team has three league fixtures left. Against New Zealand, the team’s batting unit failed to click, as India could only manage an underwhelming 110/7 in their designated overs, which was never going to be sufficient. Daryl Mitchell and Kane Williamson ensured their team got back to winning ways as they chased down the target with a massive 5.3 overs left.

“Yes talent is one thing, you’ve got all the skills and do really well in bilaterals and stuff. But when it comes to these kinds of games and tournaments, this is when you have got to stand up and perform,” Gambhir said to ESPNcricinfo after India’s loss.

“This game was literally like a quarterfinal. The problem is with the mental toughness of the side. Suddenly when you know you have got to win the game and can’t make mistakes, in bilaterals it’s different because you can make mistakes there. But in these kinds of games, I don’t think India has got that mental strength.

“They have the skill and are a very dangerous side. But unfortunately, we can keep talking about it that we need to stand by our team when it’s not doing well but it’s been a trend and its been happening for a very long time in most of these ICC tournaments, whether its the semifinals or the game today as well. When it mattered the most for someone to put his hand up, they just couldn’t,” Gambhir added.

India next plays Afghanistan in their third match on November 3 in Abu Dhabi before taking on Scotland and Namibia on November 5 and 8, respectively.