‘Open to play for any franchise’
NEWDELHI: With the IPL Governing Council asking franchises to name their retained players by January 4, three weeks before the auctions, all eyes are on former India captain Gautam Gambhir who has led Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to the title twice and the playoffs on three occasions in the seven seasons he has led them.
The KKR skipper, who scored a match-winning century for Delhi in the Ranji Trophy semifinal against Bengal this week, helping his side reach the final, says he has not yet had any word with the franchise owners.
“It is very surprising that I have not spoken to anyone. I don’t know about myself (future with KKR). We’ll probably sit and talk after the Ranji final. But yes I am (open to playing for any franchise).
You have achieved so much for KKR. You have done whatever you could. If things do not work out in future, the good part is that you are leaving a franchise on a good note, when it has become a successful franchise. Not when you were struggling,” says Gambhir. “As a professional, you want different challenges. There is nothing wrong in it. That’ll keep you motivated and hungry.”
Known as a head-strong captain, wanting his own kind of players, the former Delhi skipper had run into trouble with the Delhi selectors, coaches, administrators and curator on many occasions. He was replaced by young Rishabh Pant last year as Delhi skipper. However, one of his finds vindicated his faith on Tuesday, anointing Gambhir as the force behind Delhi’s success.
Paceman Navdeep Saini fired on all cylinders, running through Bengal with a sevenwicket match haul in the semifinal that Delhi won by an innings. Saini was inducted into the Delhi Ranji side in by Gambhir in 2013-14 without any local cricket behind him. The decision created a furore.
While India lost the previous series in South Africa, in 2013-14, they drew the one in 2010-11. “India will have to put runs on board in SA and the openers will have to play a key role. India have a settled opening pair in Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay. In a place like SA, seeing off the new ball shouldn’t be the main focus. That is a very negative thing. They should score runs and provide the start.
“There’ll be a result in all the three matches. I can’t predict which way it’ll go. But for India to do well, they need runs to give their bowlers a chance.”