It was typical of Gautam Gambhir that he strenuously deflected attention from the individual to the team, downplaying his own role as a captain and also of other heroes of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) Sunil Narine, Manvinder Bisla and Jacques Kallis, after their stunning five-wicket win over champions Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League final here on Sunday.
Gambhir said the story of Knight Riders was about team effort with individual players making their contributions. He dedicated the KKR’s maiden IPL title to the team’s fans in recognition of their support even when the Knight Riders struggled to make an impact over the years.
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“The KKR fans deserve every bit of the success, they have always backed us. I said this before as well that when things weren’t going our way they stood by us, and we wanted to win it for them,” said Gambhir at the post-match media conference.
When specifically asked about the role of Narine, who came up with match-winning spells throughout the competition, Gambhir reiterated the success was about the team, not individuals.
“I have always said I hate to talk about individuals, it was not about Sunil Narine. KKR has never been about one individual, whether that’s me or someone else. KKR is about we, and not me. It is the team that wins you games, not individuals.” he emphasised. u00a0