21 May,2011 08:05 AM IST | | Sai Mohan
Gautam Gambhir has made a huge contribution to Kolkata Knight Riders through his leadership
There's a valid reason behind the wise heads of Indian cricket grooming Gautam Gambhir as Mahendra Singh Dhoni's deputy over the next few years. Gambhir has found his mojo as a leader at the highest level.
The Kolkata Knight Riders management made the decision to headhunt Gambhir as their captain when the southpaw led India to a crushing 5-0 ODI series win against New Zealand last year. "So far ufffd so good.
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Gautam Gambhir
That's all I can say. We believed in Gambhir's leadership qualities, and he has managed the workload brilliantly.
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He's been an inspiration for youngsters in the dressing room," says Joy Bhattacharya, who has been with Kolkata through the ups and downs of the last three years.
On Thursday night, Gambhir showed more signs of the feisty captain ready to defend players in a heartbeat, ready to speak the truth despite an anxious media manager overlooking proceedings.
Not silly...
When asked if his decision to stand at silly point for most of the innings was a way to intimidate the opposition, Gambhir snapped: "My captaincy is not about aggression, it's instinctive. I have quality spinners in my team and wanted to stand at silly point.
"I wanted my bowlers to react to the fields I give them. Whatever format it may be, a good ball is a good ball and a catching position is always important. I can't stand at silly point if I don't have quality in my dressing room."
When asked what it meant for the franchise to make their maiden entry into the playoffs, Gambhir sounded like a man who's been associated with Shah Rukh Khan and Co since 2008.
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"It means a lot, but I don't know why people are making noise about us making the playoffs for the first time. We have always been a good team. It doesn't surprise me that we have qualified,"
he said. "It means a lot, but I don't know why people are making noise about us making the play-offs for the first time. We have always been a good team. It doesn't surprise me that we have qualified," he said.
When a reporter asked him the reason for his team's inconsistent performance this season, Gambhir snapped, again: "I disagree with you that our performances have been up and down. We have given our 100 per cent in every game.
This format is like that that, one good player can take the game away from you. We have been the most consistent side of the tournament," he screeched.
Gambhir said that too much was being made of the pitches in the IPL. "When we get an opposition out for 120, people blame the wicket, rather than crediting our bowlers. We have consistently kept sides down to less than 130 and chasing totals easily," said the 28-year old.
