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Cricket Players'Little strict on field, but outside he didn't bother you': Former KKR spinner on playing under Gautam Gambhir
One of Gambhir's best qualities was that he was able to spot talents from afar. Sunil Narine, who has been one of the flag bearers for KKR's bowling department for years was someone the former India batsman had pushed hard for to be included in the team.
When Kolkata Knight Riders bought and appointed Gautam Gambhir as the captain of the franchise in 2011, it immediately looked like that things were about to change for KKR. In the previous three seasons, KKR had finished badly, not being able to qualify for the playoffs.
But when Gambhir took charge of the team, he immediately led the team to a fourth-place finish in his first season. But he was not done yet. The former left-handed batsman then went on to lead KKR to two IPL titles - in 2012, and in 2014. He also converted Knight Riders into a consistent unit, while he was in charge of the team, and made them into a competitive opposition.
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One of Gambhir's best qualities was that he was able to spot talents from afar. Sunil Narine, who has been one of the flag bearers for KKR's bowling department for years was someone the former India batsman had pushed hard for to be included in the team.
Another find of Gambhir was spinner KC Cariappa who spent two seasons for the franchise - in 2015 and in 2019.
In a recent interview, Cariappa recalled his experiences of playing under the two-time IPL winning captain Gambhir in the IPL 2015 season, and described him as a "very good captain".
"Gambhir was a very good captain. He was a little strict in terms of bowling discipline, and effort on the field was something he wouldn't compromise," Cariappa told Sportskeeda.
"Outside the field, he didn't bother you. On the field, you had to give your 100% and that’s what I loved," he added.
Further speaking on his experiences of playing in the IPL over the years, Cariappa said that he still has not been able to get too many chances.
"I haven't got too many chances in the IPL. When I got selected in 2015, my name did the rounds, but I didn’t get too many matches. ABD was my debut wicket, but after that I didn’t play, Narine came back and I lost my chance. Even the few seasons I played for Punjab, I played only a few games. I feel there wasn't a proper balance, even in my performance.
"But like everyone says, more the matches, higher the confidence. I still remember the first match I played, there were 1 lakh people in the Eden Gardens crowd, it was surreal. I would love to get more matches in the seasons to come and re-live those moments," he signed off.
