‘He won’t make too much noise, but on-field his intensity would change’: KKR CEO Venky Mysore on Gautam Gambhir’s captaincy
In a recent interaction, KKR CEO Venky Mysore explained why the Delhi batsman was the perfect fit for the kind of player the franchise was looking for and explained reasons for his success as captain,
During his time as Kolkata Knight Riders captain, Gautam Gambhir went on to achieve huge success. Not only did he lead the franchise to two IPL titles, under his captaincy, KKR also finished in the playoffs in five out of seven times. In a recent interaction, KKR CEO Venky Mysore explained why the Delhi batsman was the perfect fit for the kind of player the franchise was looking when they bought him and explained reasons for his success as captain,
“I got to know Gautam, and I connected him right after that (signing him in 2011). He had expressed that he was surprised that KKR had picked him. I built an amazing relationship with him,” Venky Mysore said in the latest episode of ‘The RK Show’ uploaded on Youtube.
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“I think he fitted in perfectly what we were trying to accomplish a franchise, which was about KKR. It’s not about an individual, it’s not about superstars and what not. That’s his personality as well.
“He’s somebody who’s extremely intelligent, very smart, great instincts, and a terrific leader. That leadership is something that manifested itself on the field. It’s not about making noise and various other things outside of it. He was a very understated, quiet person,” Mysore revealed.
“We used to have breakfast and coffee or chat about things, or sitting next to each other on flights, have a chat. But on the field, his intensity would change, the switch would go on, and his best instincts as a player and leader came on. That is the kind of personality people follow,” he added.
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“He commanded that. He did not have to make too much noise. He was not a speech-giver. Just a man of few words. He fitted really well with what we wanted in KKR.
“Gautam would bring the best out of people in the team. It was a fantastic seven years, and I cherish this relation. I still have a great relationship with him and his family,” Mysore signed off.
Gambhir left KKR in 2018 and then retired from cricket a few months later. Dinesh Karthik, who was named as Gambhir’s replacement for KKR will once again lead the franchise when IPL 2020 kicks off from September 19th in the UAE.
