The T20 World Cup 2026 established Gautam Gambhir proof of his abilities. The world champion player faced severe criticism after his team lost Test series to New Zealand and Australia and South Africa. His detractors will probably take a break after Sunday. Gambhir maintained his direct approach by explaining on Sunday that his only responsibility exists toward the players in the dressing room. India became the first team to achieve three T20 World Cup victories through their 96-run victory against New Zealand in the championship match which they won at home after defending their title.
“My accountability is not for people on social media. My accountability is to those 30 people in that change room,” Gambhir said during the post-match press conference. “A coach is as good as his team. Players made me the coach I am,” Gambhir added.
Gambhir dedicated his achievement to Dravid and Laxman who led the team to victory in 2024 and currently oversees the BCCI Centre of Excellence.
“I would dedicate this trophy to Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman. To Rahul bhai for putting the Indian team in a place and Laxman for creating the pipeline at the CoE,” he added
The former India opener expressed his gratitude to chief selector Ajit Agarkar and Jay Shah who currently serves as ICC Chairman and previously held the position of BCCI secretary. “Ajit Agarkar, who took a lot of flak and worked with a lot of honesty. And to Jay bhai. During my lowest ebb in my tenure after losing to NZ and then SA (at home in Test series in 2024 and 2025), he called me,” he noted.
India achieved an explosive batting display to reach 255 runs with five wickets and then dismissed New Zealand for 159 runs to win the match.
The team needs to stop fearing defeat because we must stop fearing defeat. The team accepts that they will not achieve success through defensive cricket because they will lose their wicket after scoring 120 runs. The team demonstrates its main quality through its ability to score 250 runs at semifinals and finals according to Gambhir.
The head coach praised captain Suryakumar Yadav for working in tandem with him.
“Surya made my job easier. He has been a leader who is a father figure. The bigger purpose exists to honor our achievements through championship victories instead of our personal achievements. The organization has dedicated its resources to commemorate every major achievement. I will urge you people to stop celebrating personal milestones,” Gambhir reiterated.
Suryakumar supported Gambhir’s message.
“I played 4 years under GG’s captaincy (for Kolkata Knight Riders). The team wanted to win which we both wanted so we never argued about anything. Our friendship existed from that moment. He walked 2 steps and I walked 2 steps,” said Suryakumar who added that the team would now like to win gold in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
He added “I can’t say this is India’s white-ball era. Our white-ball era exists through our current performance which includes two ODI series losses during the last three series.
“I select teams because I have confidence in my players. I have never ever picked a team based on hope.”
India’s top-order batsmen achieved success through Sanju Samson’s aggressive 89 runs and Abhishek Sharma’s 52 runs and Ishan Kishan’s 54 runs. The team achieved a huge victory by scoring six consecutive runs which shocked New Zealand’s bowlers during the championship match.
Jasprit Bumrah (4/15 in four overs) delivered his usual excellent performance while Axar Patel (3/27) distinguished himself as India restricted New Zealand to a low score.