NEW DELHI: Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir is known for not mincing his words and always offers blunt takes on cricketing matters, which often land him in trouble, but he remains unfazed and speaks his mind regardless.

An old video of Gambhir recently resurfaced on social media from a time before he became Team India's head coach. The clip, recorded ahead of the 2023 ODI World Cup in India, shows him being asked to predict which player could emerge as the tournament's leading run-scorer.

Surprisingly, his choice left everyone wondering, as he picked Pakistan's star Babar Azam as the batter most likely to set the World Cup on fire, ahead of Indian stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, Australia's explosive David Warner, New Zealand captain Kane Williamson, and England’s dependable Joe Root.

"Babar Azam, because he has that quality to set this World Cup on fire. There are players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, David Warner, Kane Williamson and Joe Root, but Babar Azam has a different level of quality."

Gambhir's bold claim falls flat

Gambhir's prediction, however, did not materialise, as Babar Azam managed only 320 runs in nine innings at a modest average of 40, leaving him ranked 27th on the tournament's leading run-scorers list.

In contrast, Indian stars Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma dominated the 2023 World Cup, emerging as two of the competition’s top run-makers.

Kohli clinched the 'Player of the Tournament' award after India's emphatic loss to Australia in the final, amassing a record-breaking 765 runs in 11 innings at an astonishing average of 95.62.

Rohit, meanwhile, scored nearly 600 runs at a blistering strike rate of 125.94, proving his continued mastery in the ODI format.