"An 'X' player scored really well in that position"- When Gautam Gambhir admitted about being insecure ahead of the 2011 World Cup

Former India batter Gautam Gambhir was one of the star performers for the team in the 2011 World Cup, which the Men in Blue won at home by beating Sri Lanka in the final at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Ahead of the ICC event, though, the southpaw was not completely sure of his place in the playing XI.

Speaking to Star Sports back in 2022, the current Team India head coach admitted that he felt a sense of insecurity about his place in the starting XI. Explaining the reason behind the feeling, he said that he hadn't played the previous series and someone else (Gambhir did not name the player) had scored well at the position he batted in - the No. 3 slot.

"I am saying this because I have experienced the same. 2011 was my first 50-over World Cup. And I hadn't played a series before that and an 'X' player scored really well in that position, so there were debates about whether I should make the playing XI. It shouldn't happen with these players and we need to give them as much comfort as possible," the former India batter commented.

Gambhir was more out than in the team during the last few years of his international career. However, he did end up making a significant contribution to Indian cricket. In 242 matches across the three formats of the game, the southpaw scored 10,324 runs at an average of 38.95, with 20 hundreds and 63 fifties.

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Gautam Gambhir's stats in the 2011 ODI World Cup

Taking a look at the 43-year-old's stats in the 2011 ODI World Cup, the former India batter played nine matches, scoring 393 runs at an average of 43.66. He began the tournament with 39 against Bangladesh in Mirpur and followed it up with 51 against England in Bengaluru.

Gambhir contributed 69 against South Africa in Nagpur and 50 against Australia in the quarter-final in Ahmedabad. After being dismissed for 27 in the semi-final against Pakistan in Mohali, he reserved his best for the final. In the summit clash against Sri Lanka, he top-scored with 97 as India won the game by six wickets.