Dav Whatmore said that picking the opener to captain India in the absence of MS Dhoni is a right choice.
Captaincy is 90 per cent luck and 10 per cent skill. But don’t try it without that 10 per cent.
—Richie Benaud
India batsman Gautam Gambhir’s skill with the bat is well-known. Not for nothing is he inheriting the tag of ‘The Wall’ from Rahul Dravid.
When Gambhir is in the crease, the chances of winning are high as he is not overawed by whoever it is at the opposite end. That is one of the reasons for him being asked to lead a young Team India to West Indies in the limited over games starting next month.
The Delhi batsman, who proved his captaincy skills with a fantastic 4-0 series win over New Zealand at home last year, did the turnaround by taking Shah Rukh Khan’s Knight Riders, which had been finishing in the bottom of the points table in the first three seasons, into the play-off stage.
KKR’s fate has changed dramatically after the IPL 4 auction. From being the underdogs to one of the title contenders, the side has worked hard together to reach the playoffs. The team was known more for its news off the field but everything has changed now.
KKR coach Dav Whatmore believes that it is because of team effort that they have reached the playoff stage. However, he also says Gambhir has led the side from the front and is one of the key reasons for KKR’s success.
“He was one of the three or four key players to build the team around. We were fortunate enough to get Gautam. We rated him pretty high not just in terms of his ability with the bat, but in the leadership as well,” he told DNA a day before the team’s eliminator match against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium here.
“Gautam had a very good record with India just a few months earlier against New Zealand where there was a clean sweep. He did very well. He has continued to show terrific maturity as a leader on the field in very tight situations. He is certainly improving and is on the right track,” he added.
The Australian feels Gambhir’s strength is his ability to lead from the front. “He is pretty much focused, knowledge is good and he leads by example more times than not with the bat. Once you have a leader who is performing consistently, it’s a great help for the others to follow. What he has done internationally, is also of really big help when he walks in the team meetings and theory sessions,” he said.
Whatmore also said that it is a good choice to have someone like Gambhir to lead the side when skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni is not there.
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