"I was ashamed of myself" - When Gautam Gambhir opened up on the only time he felt pressure

Former India opener and current head coach Gautam Gambhir was known as one of the team's most resolute characters during his playing days. He often came up with the goods under tough circumstances and on big occasions. Famously, the southpaw top-scored for India in the 2007 T20 World Cup final in Johannesburg and the 2011 ODI World Cup final in Mumbai.

Like all cricketers, though, Gambhir has had phases when he looked under the pump. However, during an interaction in August 2023, the former India batter claimed that he felt pressure only once during his playing days.

Speaking to RevSportz, he admitted that he didn't want to face the first ball after registering three consecutive ducks for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) during IPL 2014.

"The only time I felt pressure was in 2014 when I got three consecutive ducks for KKR [Kolkata Knight Riders] in Dubai as captain. In the fourth match, I asked Manish Pandey to open the innings and batted at No. 3 myself. Manish was scoring, and I did this because I was scared. I have no hesitation in accepting I was ashamed of myself," Gambhir recalled.

"However, Manish was out without scoring and I got out for 1. I told Manish I would never again do this, and decided to take things head-on," he added.

Continuing the story, the former KKR skipper stated that he decided to take the challenge head-on and opened the batting in the next game. He elaborated:

"I was feeling the pressure. I was nervous. But then that’s what mental strength and courage are all about. You need to face up to the toughest challenges. In our next game, I opened the batting and smashed the first ball from Kane Richardson for four. Perhaps the most important four of my IPL career. That’s when things changed again."

The Kolkata Knight Riders went on to win IPL 2014 to clinch their second title in the T20 league. They beat Kings XI Punjab by three wickets in a high-scoring final played at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

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Gautam Gambhir's IPL 2014 stats

Gambhir ended IPL 2014 with 335 runs in 16 matches at an average of 22.33 and a strike rate of 114.33. He was dismissed for 23 off 17 in the final against Punjab.

The left-handed batter was dismissed for a duck in KKR's opening match against the Mumbai Indians (MI) in Abu Dhabi. He fell without scoring in the next match against the Delhi Daredevils (DD) and registered a third consecutive duck when he fell first ball to Mitchell Starc against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).

Gambhir ended IPL 2014 with three half-centuries. He scored 54 off 34 against the Rajasthan Royals (RR), 69 off 56 against Delhi and 63* off 45 against Punjab.