Gautam Gambhir’s stocks have surged significantly since taking over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) as a mentor in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.
Gautam Gambhir’s stocks have surged significantly since taking over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) as a mentor in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. KKR performed exceedingly well in the league stage and topped the table before comfortably rolling over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Qualifier 1 and the final.
Gautam definitely played a massive role in KKR’s success, for he bought ideal players in the auction and helped Shreyas Iyer, the captain of the team, to make wise decisions in the middle. Following the victory, several players credited Gambhir for assisting them in bringing the best out and stepping up for the team on different occasions.
Among the many smart moves was re-shuffling Sunil Narine to the opening position, a move that did wonders for KKR. Gambhir has previously adopted the same strategy during his captaincy ways and took the best out of Narine.
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Gambhir also played a pivotal role in acquiring Sunil Narine in the IPL 2012 auction, for he asked the owners and management to get him at any cost. Since then, Narine has been an integral member of the team across franchises.
Gautam Gambhir and Sunil Narine shared a great camaraderie, and the duo are really close to each other. Talking to Sportskeeda, Gambhir revealed he treats Narine like his brother, and they are only a call away if they need any help.
“He was so quiet that first season, but now, we can talk about anything. He is like a brother to me. I don’t see him as a friend, I don’t see him as a teammate, I see him as a brother. If I need him or he needs me, I think we are just one call away, that is the sort of relationship that we have built. We do not get excited much, we do not show too many emotions, we are not flamboyant, we just do the job and come back.”
Narine has often credited Gambhir for his success. Even when Gautam was with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), Narine was seen chatting with him whenever the two teams played.
The KKR fans will be hoping to see the duo in the purple jersey again next season. They have always done wonders for the team together.
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