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2011 World Cup winner and former Indian team opening batter Gautam Gambhir is the frontrunner to become the next head coach of Team India, following Rahul Dravid’s departure. Gambhir has already interviewed for the position, and the BCCI is expected to announce his appointment soon. Before this potential career milestone, Gambhir shared his biggest regret; not finishing the game in the 2011 ODI World Cup final.

“I wish I had finished that game. It was my job to finish the game, rather than leaving someone else to finish it. If I could turn back time, I would go back and score the last run, regardless of how many runs I had already scored,” Gambhir said at the ‘Rise To Leadership’ seminar.

Gambhir previously mentioned that then-captain MS Dhoni had encouraged him to aim for a century in the final against Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka, led by Mahela Jayawardene’s century, set a target of 275 runs. India had a shaky start with Virender Sehwag dismissed on the first delivery, followed by Sachin Tendulkar being removed by Lasith Malinga for just 18 runs.

Gautam Gambhir, in partnership with a composed Virat Kohli, stabilized the innings. The duo contributed significantly before Kohli was dismissed for an 83 run partnership by a superb catch and ball from Tillakaratne Dilshan. Following Kohli’s departure, Gambhir and Dhoni built a crucial 109-run partnership. Although Gambhir was dismissed for 97, Yuvraj Singh and Dhoni saw India through, with Dhoni hitting the iconic six over long-on to secure India’s six-wicket victory and their second ODI World Cup title.

Gautam Gambhir Reflects on His Short Tenure as Captain

Gambhir also reflected on his brief tenure as captain of Team India and whether he harbors any regrets about not leading the team for an extended period.

“I have always focused on performing for the fans, especially in the last year of my career. I had the honour of captaining India for six games and did my best. I have no regrets because my primary goal was never to be the captain. My job was to make my country win and to contribute to whichever team I played for,” he said.

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