Sehwag's wretched form with the bat has been a talking point this Ranji season in which he has scored 234 runs at an average of less than 20 in 13 innings.
"Look, had each and everyone of us were performing at the same time, then Delhi would have been in contention for winning the Ranji Trophy," Gambhir told PTI in an interview here.
"While Viru didn't exactly have a great season but then it can happen in sport. That's the beauty of the game. It was Mithun (Manhas) and my responsibility to carry the team forward. Actually what cost us is one bad innings (first innings) against Punjab when we didn't get a big lead. Just to blame Viru for Delhi's failure to qualify for knock-outs is not right," the seasoned opener explained.
"Those who have questioned my decision to play Navdeep should check how many players in the past have played for Delhi not belonging to the state," Gambhir said on the criticism he faced for selecting a non-Delhi boy like Saini.
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"I don't wish to comment about what some individuals had to say. For me, it is important whether the player is valuable for the team or not," he added.
"I don't know what Bishan paaji had said and would rather not get into it. I only know that I saw the kid (Navdeep), who till two years back used to play tennis-ball cricket, bowling well at the nets", he said.