Gautam Gambhir opens up on rumoured rift with MS Dhoni: 'I've been vice-captain the longest time when he was captain'
Gambhir also reiterated his past comment on Dhoni, saying that he had the capability to break all white-ball records had he batted at No.3 for India.
Past comments of former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir on ex-India captain MS Dhoni have led to many believing in a rift between the two stalwarts of Indian cricket - whether it was his comment on his 97-run knock in the 2011 World Cup final or on Dhoni's captaincy in the 2012 CB series. However, on Friday, Gambhir finally cleared the air on this rumoured rift with Dhoni.
Speaking to Jatin Sapru on his YouTube show 'Over and Out', Gambhir absolutely dismissed the rumours saying that he has a lot of mutual respect for the Indian cricket legend and that he would always be the first person to stand beside him in times of need for the person he is and the his contribution towards Indian cricket.
"See I have so much of mutual respect for him and it'll always remain. I've said it on air, I'll say it on your channel, I can say it anywhere in front of 138 crore people, that if ever in need, I hope he's never in need, but if ever in need in life, I'll be the first one standing next to him because of what he's done for Indian cricket, what he's as a human being," he said.
The former Kolkata Knight Riders captain, who will now be mentoring Lucknow Super Giants for the 2022 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), did admit to difference to difference in opinion between the two, but clarified that it had nothing to do with the respect he has for Dhoni.
"See we can have differences in opinion, you might look at the game a different way, I might look at the game in a different way. I've got my own opinions, he's got his own opinion. I've actually been the vice-captain the longest time when he was the captain... We've been rivals on the field when we played for our respective teams. But I've got so much mutual respect for him, for the kind of person, the kind of cricketer he is."
Gambhir also reiterated his past comment on Dhoni, saying that he had the capability to break all white-ball records had he batted at No.3 for India. And Gambhir may not have been entirely wrong. Remember that 183, against Sri Lanka in 2005? It came at No.3, where he batted 15 other times in ODIs, scoring 993 runs in all at an average of 82.75.
"And I can say it again, had he batted at No. 3, he would've broken all the records. We talk about some of the greats of No. 3 - he would've broken everything in white-ball cricket," he said.
