Gambhir’s return to Eden adds twist to tale
KOLKATA: Denis Law didn’t celebrate after scoring against Manchester United, his club for 11 seasons. Roberto Baggio refused to take a penalty for Juventus against Fiorentina who had sold him for a then world record fee.
At the highest level, famous club switches are more a football thing --- from Law, Baggio through Luis Enrique, Brazil’s Ronaldo, Paul Ince, Michael Owen and Luis Figo, there are enough examples --- but it is an idea whose time seems to have come in the IPL too.
So, how will Gautam Gambhir, two-time IPL champion with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), react when he reaches the Eden Gardens on Monday and heads for the away team change room?
Will his IPL home for seven seasons be just another pit stop or will memories of a heaving, throbbing Eden calling him one of its own exist cheek by jowl with his current role as Delhi Daredevils captain? Conversely, how will KKR, their patchy performance so far a throwback to the era before Gambhir, react?
“Gautam knows the conditions and the wicket here very well…. In this form of the game it can count confidence-wise at times .... For us it is about the opposition. You start playing the man and not the ball and you know you will be in trouble,” said KKR assistant-coach Simon Katich who was part of Gamhir’s support staff for three seasons.
It will also be interesting to see how Eden reacts to Gambhir. Will it treat him like MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli, players who are loved even if their teams are not? It may not be like that May afternoon when Sourav Ganguly led the away team at Eden but the return of Gambhir definitely adds a twist to this KKR-DD tale.