Sitting in visitors’ dressing room at Kotla felt odd

I’ll start by thanking the KKR fans for their good wishes. Last night, we did all three — ‘Korbo, lorbo and jeetbo’, and I am proud of my team and support staff, writes Gautam Gambhir.

I’ll start by thanking the KKR fans for their good wishes. Last night, we did all three — ‘Korbo, lorbo and jeetbo’, and I am proud of my team and support staff.

HT Image

Personally, it was the most emotionally charged game in this year’s IPL for more than one reason. It was a strange feeling going into the visitors’ dressing room at the Ferozshah Kotla. For a moment, it felt a little strange as I have always been in the other dressing room, but then it is a professional world. By the end of it all, I was so drained that I slept like a log only to get up the next afternoon.

Another reason why I had immense satisfaction in winning the game, was Shah Rukh Khan. This win was for him. On the eve of the game he told us how he was coming back to the Kotla after 30 years and I didn’t want him to go back dejected. Once again, emotions were riding high in SRK’s eyes when he spoke to us in the team meeting before the match.

In the batting department, I was pleased for Ryan ten Doeschate, or Tendo, as we know him. He was exceptional, batting for the first time in the tournament. Tendo’s partnership with Manoj Tiwary was invaluable.

A lot of people give me credit for being able to defend 148/7. I have always maintained that a captain is as good as his team. In my opinion there were, are and never will be any great captains; there were, are and will always be only great teams. GAMEPLAN