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‘That’s what successful captains do’: Robin Uthappa recalls playing under Gautam Gambhir at KKR
Uthappa, who was bought by Rajasthan Royals last year at the auctions in Decembr last year, further explained how Gambhir was able to find success with KKR.
Former Kolkata Knight Riders star Robin Uthappa, who has won two Indian Premier League titles with the franchise under Gautam Gambhir’s captaincy, praised the former left-handed batsman and said that Gambhir allowed everyone in the team to express themselves. Uthappa, who was bought by Rajasthan Royals last year at the auctions in Decembr last year, further explained how Gambhir was able to find success with KKR.
“What stood out for me was that he allowed people to express themselves and didn’t interfere with anyone’s games. He made sure he built a sense of security within the group and that I think also is integral in winning tournaments like the IPL and that’s what successful captains do,” Uthappa said in the latest episode of Star Sports’ Cricket Connected chat show.
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“In my experience of winning tournaments, what I’ve seen is that successful captains give people their space to express themselves and make sure that everyone within the group is feeling secure.
“So, they communicated to players even who are not playing, there’s a sense of communication that’s growing within the side, you need to bind with players specially in a tournament like the IPL, guys who aren’t playing also play a big factor in building momentum and creating the right energy within the group,” he said.
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“He made sure he spent a lot of time with the reserves, he trained with them, he had meals with them, so they never felt left out,” Uthappa added.
Uthappa has played 177 matches in IPL so far, in which he has scored 4,411 runs at an average of 28.8. Uthappa started his IPL career with Mumbai Indians back in 2008. He played with Royal Challengers Bangalore between 2009 and 2010 and then spent two years at Pune Warriors India between 2011 and 2013. He finally found success in KKR where he spent six years between 2014-2019.
