The former India player didn’t mince his words as he talked about Gautam Gambhir’s controversial take.
Former India opener Gautam Gambhir made headlines earlier this week when he criticised former cricketers AB de Villiers and Kevin Pietersen. The duo had been critical of Hardik Pandya’s leadership in the ongoing IPL season, as Mumbai Indians became the first team to get knocked out of the race for playoffs last week. Hardik’s MI are reeling at the bottom of the table with four wins in 13 matches.
Kolkata: Kolkata Knight Riders mentor Gautam Gambhir during a training session (PTI)
“(AB) de Villiers and Pietersen’s records as captain are also not impressive,” Gambhir said in a chat with Sportskeeda. Except for his own scores, De Villiers has achieved nothing in the IPL.
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“What was their own performance like when they were the captain? I don’t think, be it Kevin Pietersen or AB de Villiers, they had any performance in their career with leadership. Nothing. If you pick and see their records, I think they are worse than any other leader. I don’t think AB de Villiers has achieved anything in the IPL apart from his own scores.
“I don’t think he has achieved anything from a team’s point of view, Hardik Pandya is still an IPL-winning captain. So you should only compare oranges to oranges. Not apple to oranges,” Gambhir had said.
However, former India cricketer Atul Wassan has reacted rather strongly to the comment. While he didn’t make a detailed remark on Gambhir’s comments on the two international superstars, Wassan accused Gambhir of trying to stir a controversy.
“What are you saying? He is trying to create a controversy and he has a habit of it. I don’t take Gautam Gambhir seriously,” Wassan told India News, as quoted by CricTracker.
In 2017, Gambhir told the Indian Express that he wasn’t informed when the Atul Wassan-led selection committee removed him as captain of the Delhi state team. Things have seemingly been tense between the two ex-cricketers.
Gambhir currently with KKR
Gautam Gambhir is currently part of the Kolkata Knight Riders’ dugout, where he is the mentor of the side. Gambhir’s return has been a successful one so far, with the side comfortably placed at the top of the league table in the season. KKR became the first team to qualify for the playoffs last week.
