'He could never get over the feeling': Former KKR Team Director gives a peek into Gautam Gambhir's mindset following Kohli-Gambhir fiasco
As his ugly post-match clash with Virat Kohli retains centre stage, Gautam Gambhir's angry outlook is also in the spotlight, with persistent claims that former India cricketer seemingly has an axe to grind with the modern-day batting giant and his ex national teammate.
Gambhir has on multiple occasions been in the news for giving controversial statements on Kohli and his game. But his latest verbal spat and near-physical altercation with the fellow Delhite post Royal Challengers Bangalore's (RCB) win over Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in IPL 2023 on Monday (May 1) has somewhere also reignited talks around his temperament and attitude.
Former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) team director Joy Bhattacharya gave us a timely peek into the mindset of the side's former IPL captain, who led the Kolkata franchise to two titles in 2012 and 2014. Bhattacharya recounted from personal experience of working closely with Gautam Gambhir that the cricketer perhaps feels aggrieved for not receiving his due within the Indian set-up.
Ex KKR team director on Gautam Gambhir's mindset
For Bhattacharya, Gautam Gambhir still feels miffed at being denied a spot at the top of the Indian cricket hierarchy in his heyday and the deserved recognition as a cricketer despite being one of the leading flagbearers of the Indian ascent towards the 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 World Cup triumphs.
"I have spent 4 IPL seasons with Gautam Gambhir. He was a terrific cricketer, a smart captain and a man who could make the most heart warming gestures, like handing over a Man of the Match award to a junior player who he thought equally deserved the award," Bhattacharya wrote in a Facebook post.
"But he could also never get over the feeling that life had denied him his rightful place at the top of the Indian cricket pantheon. And that position went first to Dhoni and Sehwag and then Virat."
"It's a cautionary tale, when a former India captain with a stellar record, enough and more money and lots of recognition and fame still continually feels he is hard done by. And cannot get over it, years after giving up the game," he added.
Bhattacharya wrote in his post Kohli would've known Gambhir will react to his jeering at LSG players and multiple instances of keeping his finger on the mouth for every opposition wicket, which was a response to the LSG mentor reacting animatedly post his team's win on RCB's home turf earlier in the tournament.
"By putting his finger on his lips for every wicket, Virat was reciprocating what Gambhir had done when Lucknow managed to win in the Chinnaswamy stadium. And he knew that Gambhir would inevitably respond. Grown men!" he added.
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