Gautam Gambhir was the best captain in IPL 7, says Wasim Akram

With Kolkata Knight Riders winning its second IPL trophy by defeating Kings XI Punjab by 3 wickets, Wasim Akram was all praise for their skipper Gautam Gambhir’s leadership.

“It means a lot to the team when the skipper is performing well. It adds to the security and the self belief. He has led his troops very well. I believe he was the best captain in this IPL,” Akram told the IPL’s official website.

Crediting the way Gambhir went about match in the final, the bowling coach very much appreciated his captain’s move to look for breakthroughs rather than drying runs in the middle overs.

“Tonight, from the 11th to the 15th over of the KXIP innings, instead of looking for dot balls — which most captains do during that phase of the innings — he encouraged his bowlers to bowl for wickets. That aggressive mindset and the belief he puts in his players makes him the best captain in the tournament,” the Pakistani added.

On commenting about the improvement they made through the season, Akram underplayed his role in the team.

“Our job is to keep things simple. We talk to the point and don’t have long meetings. We just try to keep them relaxed and lend any assistance they need. That is the mantra that Trevor Bayliss and I go by. The credit goes to the captain and his team. We are here just to support them,”

“It feels out of this world, but this time we’re a lot calmer as well. The best thing about this team is that every member is enjoying each other’s success and company. The foreign players and the Indian boys are really close, and that’s great to see as a mentor,” Akram said.

On the bowlers he worked with: “Yes, we’ve had a number of pace bowlers this year. They are all intelligent bowlers and hard working cricketers. It has been special working with so many pacers who are all so different from one another. There’s not much more you can ask as a coach” said Akram that he felt satisfied with his troops.

Akram also lauded the move to promote Robin Uthappa that proved to be the moment that changed their fortunes.

“This was a new team with new combinations, and it took us five-six games to get it right. We realised that this guy would be better opening the batting and he proved us right. He was consistency and class personified,” praised Akram.