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Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir has been an expert with Sportskeeda for a while now and has often been known for his ability to speak out his mind in an unfiltered manner. That is perhaps one of the main seasons why Gambhir is sometimes looked at as a polarizing personality.
While many loved the way with which he wore his heart on his sleeves as a player and also as a mentor, some feel that he gets a bit too intense. However, the great man hasn't ever shied away from speaking his mind out and his latest interaction with Sportskeeda was nothing short of more such blunt takes.
On that note, let's take a look at five talking points from Gautam Gambhir's latest interaction with Sportskeeda:
#5 Gautam Gambhir backs Hardik Pandya
Mumbai Indians are on the verge of finishing rock bottom of the IPL 2024 points table under the captaincy of Hardik Pandya and several cricket experts like Kevin Pietersen and AB de Villiers have criticized the star all-rounder for his leadership.
However, Gautam Gambhir backed Hardik Pandya to come good with time and shed light on how difficult it could be for a captain to hit the ground straightaway at a new franchise. He also took a dig at the likes of De Villiers, questioning their achievements as a leader in the IPL. He said:
"What was his own performance when he was the captain? I don't think, be it Kevin Pietersen or AB de Villiers, they had any performance in their career with leadership. Nothing if you pick and see their records. I don't think AB de Villiers has achieved anything in the IPL apart from his own scores. I don't think he has achieved anything from a team's point of view."
Gambhir reckons that Hardik Pandya's woeful IPL form won't have that big an impact when he plays for India in the T20 World Cup as he would be performing just as a player without the captaincy pressure. The star all-rounder has been named Rohit Sharma's deputy.
#4 Gambhir smiling
Gautam Gambhir often comes across as a very serious person who is fully focused on the game. The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) mentor was recently seen smiling in the dugout and the picture of that went viral. Here's what Gambhir had to say about the same:
"I have said this before also that people don't come to watch me smile. People come to see KKR win. If KKR win and I don't have a smile on my face, you can assume that I am smiling. I think all commentators should have understood by now that my smile is precious. I can't give a smile to anyone just like that (smiles). You don't get expensive things easily."
Gambhir also claimed that even if he is not smiling, his goal is always to send the KKR supporters home happy after they see their team win.
#3 Rivalry with RCB
During the IPL 2024 season, a video of Gautam Gambhir saying that he dreams of beating Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) went viral and the broadcasters showed the video several times. Gambhir clarified that the video was an old one and that the broadcasters had just been bringing it back for TRP.
Here's what he stated about being competitive:
"Actually, I had said that many years ago. But that clip has been shown so many times. It's okay, people want TRP, fair enough. They can have their TRP. They can have whatever share of PR, whatever they want. In that clip, I had said they (RCB) have quality and I wanted to beat them. Even today, I want to beat them, but it is not just RCB, honestly."
Gautam Gambhir claimed that the drive he had within was the same to beat any team and not just RCB. That drive has been reflected in the way KKR have been performing this season.
#2 Gautam Gambhir doesn't want credit on KKR's performance
KKR became the first team to qualify for IPL 2024 playoffs and it is now confirmed that they will be finishing the league phase at the top of the table with at least 19 points. This has been an incredible turnaround for Kolkata and many believe Gautam Gambhir's comeback is the main reason behind it.
However, here's what Gautam Gambhir said on it:
"I cannot take all the credit. At the end of the day it is the players who go out there and execute. Yes, it is important to have a good auction and form good strategies on paper. However, ultimately the players execute that and it is they who take the team forward."
Shreyas Iyer and his men have lost just three games all season so far and have a chance to clinch their third IPL title this year. Gambhir led KKR to their previous titles in IPL 2012 and IPL 2014.
#1 Gambhir chooses his wicketkeeper for India between Samson and Pant
There has been a lot of debate around who should be India's wicketkeeper at the T20 World Cup, with the selectors having picked both Sanju Samson and Rishabh Pant in the squad. Samson has been in tremendous form with 504 runs from 13 games at a strike rate of more than 156.
Pant, on the other hand, has scored 446 runs and yet has had shades of inconsistency. However, Gautam Gambhir believes Pant is the right choice for India to begin with at the T20 World Cup. He explained why by saying:
"If I had to pick, I'd probably pick Rishabh Pant because he is a natural middle-order batter. Sanju, if you see in IPL, he has batted at number three. Rishabh has batted at number five, six and seven I think. Looking at Team India's combination, we need the wicketkeeper in that position and not in the top order.
"So I'd start with Rishabh Pant. Plus, he is a left-hander in the middle-order, which gives you a left hand-right hand combination."
India begin their T20 World Cup campaign against Ireland on June 5 and the warm-up games before that may give a clear idea about who they prefer between Samson and Pant.
