5 major statements from Gautam Gambhir's press conference after India's semifinal win vs Australia in 2025 Champions Trophy

India and Australia faced off in Semi-final 1 of the 2025 Champions Trophy on Tuesday, March 4, at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in the UAE. Australia won the toss and chose to bat first.

Mohammed Shami struck early for the Men in Blue, dismissing Cooper Connolly for a duck. Travis Head made a solid contribution, scoring 39 runs, but it was skipper Steve Smith (73) and Alex Carey (61) who propelled Australia’s total. Shami finished with three wickets, while Ravindra Jadeja and Varun Chakaravarthy each took two as Australia were bowled out for 264 in 49.3 overs.

In response, Shubman Gill (8) was dismissed cheaply, while Rohit Sharma contributed 28 runs. Virat Kohli was the standout performer for India, scoring 84 runs and receiving solid support from Shreyas Iyer (45), Axar Patel (27), and Hardik Pandya (28).

KL Rahul also played a crucial knock, remaining unbeaten on 42 as India triumphed by four wickets with 11 balls to spare, securing their spot in the final.

After the match, head coach Gautam Gambhir addressed the press. In this article, we highlight five key statements from Gautam Gambhir's press conference following India's semifinal win against Australia in the 2025 Champions Trophy.

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5 major statements from Gautam Gambhir's press conference after India's semifinal win vs Australia

#1 “Some are just perpetual cribbers” - Gautam Gambhir slams critics over claims of India's 'unfair advantage' in 2025 Champions Trophy

Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir strongly dismissed the criticism that India’s success with five spinners and their favorable schedule in the 2025 Champions Trophy, with all matches being held in Dubai, gave them an unfair advantage. Following the semi-final against Australia, Gambhir responded to the issue, saying:

“See, first of all, this is as neutral a venue for us as it is for any other team. We have not played here. I don't remember when last we played here. And in fact, we didn't plan anything like that. The plan was that if you pick two frontline spinners in the 15-man squad, then even if we played in Pakistan or anywhere, we would have picked two frontline spinners because this was a competition in the subcontinent."

"There's a lot of debate about the undue advantage and all that. What undue advantage? We haven't practised here even for one day. We're practising at the ICC Academy. And the conditions there and here are 180 degrees different. Some people are just perpetual cribbers, man. They've got to grow up. So, I feel that there was nothing like we had any undue advantage," he added.

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#2 “I don't care what people talk about it” - Gautam Gambhir talks about KL Rahul being preferred over Rishabh Pant and the criticism of player selection

During the press conference, Gautam Gambhir was questioned about the criticism for choosing KL Rahul over Rishabh Pant, to which he responded:

"KL Rahul averages 50 in one day cricket, that's the answer.”

The head coach further clarified that external criticism regarding selection decisions doesn't bother him. He also addressed the criticism for choosing five spinners in the squad. The 43-year-old said:

“I don't care about it, my job is, to be honest, to 140 crore Indians and to my players in the dressing room. I don't care what people talk about it, how they talk about it, whether they've got an agenda, whether they've got not got agendas. If I am honest with my job, that is all that matters and I can sleep in peace."

"I mean, you talk about the spinning combination. We got 3 all-rounders in those 5 spinners. I don't know why people keep forgetting about it. And those three all-rounders are quality all-rounders. Actually, in the entire squad, we have only picked 2 frontline spinners and that is ok. In a 15-member squad if you pick two frontline spinners, that's not too much to be asking for,” he added.

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#3 “When you’ve played 300 games, you will eventually get out to some spinners” - Gautam Gambhir slams Virat Kohli's critics

Gautam Gambhir responded strongly to a reporter's question about how Virat Kohli handled his weakness against leg spinners, especially with Australia fielding Adam Zampa and Tanveer Sangha in their playing XI.

Kohli was named the Player of the Match in the semi-final against Australia after scoring 84 runs. Gambhir pointed out that after playing over 300 matches, it's only natural for any player to be dismissed by some spinners. He said:

“When you’ve played 300 games, you will eventually get out to some spinners, and that’s okay. I think he’s scored 100 in the competition, 90 in the competition, and eventually, when you score runs in the competition, you will get out to some kind of bowler."

"So rather than dissecting and analyzing the fact that he got out to a leg spinner, when you play 300 ODIs, you will eventually get out to certain types of bowlers, and that’s okay," Gambhir added.

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#4 “You evaluate from the stats; we evaluate from the impact” - Head coach hits back at Rohit Sharma’s critics after 2025 Champions Trophy semifinal

During the press conference, Gautam Gambhir addressed the concern about Rohit Sharma not scoring big runs in the ongoing 2025 Champions Trophy.

The 43-year-old highlighted that Rohit has been leading with a fearless approach and emphasized that the team values impact over statistics when evaluating performance. Gambhir said:

"Look, the final of the Champions Trophy is now coming up. What can I say before that? If your captain bats with such a tempo, it just gives a very good signal to the dressing room that we want to be absolutely fearless and courageous. You evaluate from the runs; we evaluate from the impact. That's the difference. You evaluate from the stats; we evaluate from the impact."

"As journalists, as experts, you only look at numbers, averages. But as a coach, as a team, we don't look at numbers or averages. If the captain puts up his hand first, then there is nothing better than that for the dressing room,” he added.

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#5 “He has made a reasonable contribution” - Gautam Gambhir on preferring Axar Patel at number 5

Gautam Gambhir also discussed the situation of Axar Patel batting at number 5, stating that the 31-year-old has made valuable contributions, and the management will continue to give him the opportunity to bat higher up the order. Gambhir said:

“I’ve said it before that we don’t care what people say. I think he’s a quality player, and it’s important. This is how cricket is meant to be played, and this is how we will play the sport. This is how we will continue to play the sport. We know the quality and ability Axar has, and we’ve got to keep giving him the opportunity at number 5 so he can keep performing, keep expressing himself, and keep showing his talent to the world.”

“He has made a reasonable contribution since he started batting at number 5, and people can keep talking about why we make Axar bat at number 5. But yes, that’s where it’s important—it’s not about the individual, but what we want as a team, and we will continue to do that,” he added.

Axar has scored 80 runs in four innings and has also taken five wickets.