Kolkata: Gautam Gambhir’s captaincy for the Kolkata Knight Riders has been nothing short of exemplary this Indian Premier League (IPL) season. No wonder his team is sitting comfortably at the second spot in the table and is well set to qualify for the playoffs. Many admired his leadership and this time, it’s his KKR teammate and Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al-Hasan, who called Gambhir, ‘an exceptional captain.’
“I think Gambhir is an exceptional captain. I have played with him for seven years in KKR and the way he has handled the team in pressure situations is excellent. Captaining a franchise isn’t easy and he has done a great job. He motivates the players a lot,” Shakib told SportsCrunch on the sidelines of a promotional event in Kolkata.
“We won both our IPL trophies in 2012 and 2014 under his captaincy and we have consistently qualified for the playoffs for the past few years. There is indeed a lot to learn from him,” the all-rounder said at a promotional event organised by Puma known as the Puma Cricket Studio.
Not quite long ago, did charismatic Bangladeshi skipper Mashrafe Mortaza retired from the game’s shortest version after which Shakib was appointed as the skipper of the T20 side. He had earlier led his country in all three formats from 2009-2011, which included four T20 Internationals, all of which they lost.
Speaking on whether it would be a new challenge in captaining Bangladesh once again and now especially that the team has started winning matches he said, “It would be new challenge for me. We have been winning matches of late but our T20 record is very poor. I would definitely like to improve that.”
Shakib has been one of the finest all-rounders his country has produced and has remained in the top bracket of the all-rounders for quite some time now. As a matter of fact, he is currently the number one all-rounder in ODI cricket. On asked whether why hasn’t any other all-rounder from Bangladesh reached the bar set by him, he said,
“See, I think it’s not about all-rounders. We have had some good batsmen coming in the team. We also have some quality fast bowlers as well as spinners. As long as they are performing, it’s okay.”
Integral part…
The Bangladeshi has been an integral part of the Kolkata Knight Riders setup, ever since his debut but this year, he hasn’t quite featured in a lot of games primarily because of the fact that the Indian spinners in the team have been doing a great job and also, the Eden wicket, which now has become a better pitch to bowl for fast bowlers.
Talking of the limited opportunities he has received so far( one to be precise) he said, “Well, as professionals we know that our opportunities would be limited in number. Yes, whoever isn’t playing is also ready and I am taking this positively.”
The Knight Riders’ next assignment would be at the Eden Gardens against a strong Rising Pune Supergiant side, whose combinations have seemed to click at the moment as they have been in good form of late, beating top teams like Mumbai and Bangalore.
“The last time we faced them in Pune, we dominated the match and we won. In the IPL, every team is equally competitive as there is not much difference between the top ranked and the bottom placed sides. I have full faith in the team that they will do well,” he said.
Sadly, the Bangladeshi all-rounder wouldn’t be available for the Knight Riders throughout the tournament as he has to leave on national duty on the fifth of this month.
“Although I wouldn’t be there for the full season, I hope that we continue to play good cricket and be the champions for a third time” Shakib signed off.