Former bowler Praveen Kumar expressed similar feelings to Gautam Gambhir regarding the MS Dhoni-led Indian team’s historic 2011 World Cup triumph.
Gambhir has stated on multiple occasions that Dhoni’s six-wicket haul in the final did not account for the whole Men in Blue victory. Kumar also stated that a single player cannot assist a team win major events.
The 37-year-old believes the Men in Blue won because multiple players made major contributions at various points. Praveen Kumar mentioned this on sports writer Shubhankar Mishra’s YouTube channel:
“This is not wrestling or any other individual sport. One man cannot win you a match. Yuvraj Singh took 15 wickets and scored runs. Zaheer Khan took 21 wickets. Gautam Gambhir scored runs in the 2007 T20 World Cup and in 2011. MS Dhoni scored runs in the 2011 final. A team wins only when at least three of its batters are in form and at least two bowlers are picking wickets. Be it a Test, ODI, or T20I. One player can’t win you tournaments.”
Praveen Kumar
Something important happened with Praveen Kumar. He could not play in the 2011 World Cup. This was because of an injury to his elbow. Sreesanth took his place in the team.
Praveen Kumar agrees with Gautam Gambhir on Concerns Over Hero Worship in India
Gautam Gambhir has recently asked Indian fans to abandon idol worship. He stated that instead of idolizing individuals, the emphasis should be on glorifying Team India.
Praveen Kumar shares a similar view on the situation. He pointed out that hero worship has been prevalent in Indian cricket for numerous years. He commented:
“The hero culture has always been there in Indian cricket. I think it’s been there since 1980s. This is a wrong tendency. Cricketers at times become bigger than cricket. The one who has more brand support gets more limelight.”
Praveen Kumar
Praveen Kumar bowled well in 68 ODIs for India. Besides that, Kumar grabbed a decent 112 wickets across all formats. He displayed fine swing bowling skills. Kumar took part in 10 T20Is and six Tests.