Gautam Gambhir on why he does not smile in IPL (Source: BCCI/IPL)
KKR mentor Gautam Gambhir has been the cornerstone of KKR’s remarkable journey in IPL 2024. From promoting Sunil Narine as an opener to preferring Phil Salt ahead of Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Gambhir‘s masterstrokes helped KKR finish as table toppers in the league stage of IPL 2024. KKR will take on SRH in Qualifier 1 on Tuesday. Ahead of the all-important game, Gambhir sat for an interview with R Ashwin where he spoke at length on various topics.
“You know, he doesn’t smile, he doesn’t laugh, he is always intense, he’s always grumpy, he’s always walking on the edge, he always has the game face on. People don’t come to watch me smile, they come to watch me win.” Gambhir said on Ashwin’s YouTube channel.
“I’m not in entertainment, I’m not a Bollywood actor, not in corporate, I’m a cricketer. I’m into performing art. My job is that I want to come back in a winning dressing room. I’ve the right to do everything within the spirit of the game to beat the opponents.” he added.
Gambhir justified his claim citing LSG vs RCB match in IPL 2023 where Harshal Patel tried to mankad Ravi Bishnoi but failed to dislodge the bails as LSG won the game. The former India player said he would have been fine had Harshal got Bishnoi out as it was within the rules.
“If you ask me, nothing. Spirit of the game, everyone plays within the spirit of the game. Whatever is written in laws, you’ve got all the right to use it. You’ve not done any match fixing and not tampered with the ball. You’ve got all the right to play hard. And got all the right to win a game of cricket within the rules of the game irrespective of how you win. That’s about it and that is what is the spirit of the game.”
“I would have been fine with it. I would have been fine with it because it was the non-strikers responsibility to hold its ground. And that is something. Had Bishnoi got mankaded, I would have been fine with it. know obviously I might have been sad because we wouldn’t have won that game. But then it’s up to the non-strikers. Absolutely.”