Former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir made some honest admissions while recalling his time as captain in the Indian Premier League. Gambhir led Delhi Capitals (then Delhi Daredevils) and Kolkata Knight Riders in the cash-rich league and won the two titles leading the Purple and Golden outfit. The former Indian star was known for his aggressive leadership and leading his team from the front.
Gambhir never shied away from arguing with opposition players and was involved in a few heated altercations, including one with Virat Kohli, which grabbed the limelight.
The 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 ODI WC finals hero reminisced his time as captain and admitted that he did some things during his career which some things he shouldn’t have done.
“Sometimes you need to have an aggressive approach as a leader if you want your team to be aggressive. Sometimes you need to do things you didn’t want to. When I look back at my career, I have done some things I shouldn’t have done. But I believed if I didn’t get aggressive and didn’t lead by example, my team won’t play aggressively,” Gambhir told Sportskeeda.
The two-time IPL-winning skipper further asserted that a player should be judged only for his on-the-field activities or behaviour, but everyone should keep in mind the player’s off-the-field things too.
“I feel every player and every leader has the right to express themselves on the field. A player should not be judged just by how he is on the field, but how he is off it should also be looked at,” he added.
Gambhir player for KKR in IPL from 2011 to 2017, which is considered the golden period of the franchise. During this period, the team won the IPL twice, qualified for the playoffs five times, and reached the finals of the Champions League T20 in 2014.
He rejoined the franchise ahead of the 2024 edition as the team mentor, and his inclusion in the team management changed their fortunes once again, as KKR are currently sitting at the top of the points table with one foot in the playoffs.
In a conversation on Star Sports, KKR co-owner and Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan expressed his sheer joy at having Gambhir back in the KKR family, and how pivotal he is to the team’s success.
“He’s trying to free him up a bit. He’s (Gambhir) been with us for 8 years, and God willing, for the next 20 years. The great thing about Gautam Gambhir being back with us is that I never felt like he left us. You know, there are some friendships that remain intact no matter what. Whether he’s in our team or mentoring someone else, there’s never any animosity or competition with him,” Shah Rukh said.
