Gambhir quits as Delhi captain, will forego 2.8 cr salary
Gautam Gambhir has stepped down as captain of perennial IPL laggards Delhi Daredevils, saying he just wasn't good enough for the job.
India batsman Shreyas Iyer was announced as the new skipper at the franchise's press conference which was also attended by coach Ricky Ponting.
The 36-year-old Gambhir, however, will continue to be a part of the team for the remaining eight games. The Team India discard, who led KKR to two IPL titles and played international cricket for over a decade, said he was not able to handle the pressure.
"The bell started ringing after the last game (against KXIP at Kotla) and it was time to take the call. My own performance has not been up to the mark. Maybe I was too desperate to turn things around," Gambhir said.
KKR had released Gambhir ahead of this year's auction and didn't bid for him either. He was, however, KKR's leading run-getter with 3345 runs in 122 matches.
The combine of Gambhir and Ponting, it was hoped, would result in a successful season for Delhi Daredevils. However, it has proved to be exactly the opposite with Delhi losing five out of their six games.
On the personal front, Gambhir's performance was below par by his own standards. He scored 55 in the opening game before failing in the next four innings.
The southpaw insisted that he was not pressurised to quit and it was rather his own decision.
Was pressure really behind his unexpected decision?
"I was 28 when I joined KKR and today I am 36. May be I could handle pressure better then," he said.
Having relinquished captaincy of Delhi Daredevils, Gambhir has also decided to forego his entire Rs 2.8 crore salary.
It is possibly the first time that an IPL captain has decided to forego his salary because of non performance.