Stop celebrating milestones, celebrate trophies:  Gambhir emphasises team-first philosophy after India’s title win

Ahmedabad: Head coach Gautam Gambhir reiterated his long-standing belief that team trophies outweigh individual milestones after India clinched the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 title with a commanding victory over New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium. 

Addressing the media after the triumph, Gambhir stressed that the team’s culture under his tenure is built around winning silverware rather than chasing numbers.

“My simple philosophy with Surya has always been that milestones don't matter. It's the trophies that matter. For too long in Indian cricket, we've spoken about milestones. And I hope that till I'm there, we're not going to talk about milestones,” he said in the press conference.

Gambhir praised captain Suryakumar Yadav for his leadership and for sharing the same philosophy about prioritising team success over personal records.

“Look, I've said it before, I think Surya has made my life a lot easier in this format. I think he's a phenomenal leader. I think, yes, he very rightly mentioned that he doesn't want to be called a captain, he wants to be called a leader because a leader is a far bigger figure in a dressing room than a captain.”

The former India opener pointed to the fearless batting approach displayed during the tournament as an example of players putting the team’s cause ahead of personal landmarks.

“You can see it very easily as well. You can see it in the last three games, what Sanju did. 97 not out, 89-88. Imagine if you had been playing for a milestone. Probably we wouldn't have got to 50,” Gambhir stated.

Calling for a shift in how cricket achievements are celebrated, Gambhir said the focus should always remain on collective glory.

“Stop celebrating milestones, celebrate trophies. That is going to be important because the bigger purpose of a team sport is to win trophies, not score individual runs. It has never mattered to me, and it will never matter to me,” he said.

Gambhir added that he considers himself fortunate to share the same vision with Suryakumar, which has helped build a strong team culture.

“And I think Surya has… Actually, I've been very fortunate that Surya and I were on the same page, especially on this one,” he stated.