IPL taught him to be a leader, says two-time winning captain Gautam Gambhir

Former India opener Gautam Gambhir announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on December 4. His home team Delhi’s next assignment in Ranji Trophy against Andhra that started on Thursday is his final game. Gambhir, who played for India last in 2016 after making international debut in 2003, has had his moments of high success, both as a batsman and captain.

He had a disappointing end to his stint in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the 2018 season as his wretched form with the bat saw him stepping down from the captaincy of the Delhi Capitals (formerly Delhi Daredevils) and also relinquishing a spot in the playing XI.

However, it was in the same tournament that he has excelled as a captain, winning the trophy as the captain of Kolkata Knight Riders not once but twice. The titles won in 2012 and 2014 make Gambhir the second most successful captain in the IPL after Mumbai Indians’ Rohit Sharma and Chennai Super Kings’ Mahendra Singh Dhoni who won the title thrice each.

Anil Kumble is the best captain Gambhir played under

When asked in an interview whether IPL made him a better captain, Gambhir said it had indeed. He also praised former India spinner Anil Kumble as the best captain he had played under and rued that the country had missed a great leader who could have made a difference.

“IPL taught me how to be a leader. I have played under a lot of captains but I have played under very few leaders. One of those was Anil Kumble. He was the best captain that I had for a very long time. He didn’t captain India for a very long time, whatever little I played under his captaincy I knew that India missed out on a leader who could have taken India to a different level. He taught me things how to become a leader and a perfect role model for me,” the 37-year-old said in an exclusive interview with CricketNext.

Gambhir has a cent per cent win record as the captain of India. He led them in six ODIs in 2010-11 and won all of them.

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