Gautam Gambhir has contributed a lot to the game of cricket in India. He has an immense knowledge and understanding about the game. Not just in International matches that he played for India during his time but in IPL as well, his contribution to his former team Kolkata Knight Riders was one of the reason for the success of the team in all these years.
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However, he wasn’t retained or bought by the franchise at the auctions. IPL 2018 had a very decent start to the league as the skipper of Delhi Daredevils, but he stepped down from the position of captain because of non-performance in the league.
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While he wasn’t able to contribute a bit during his captaincy for Delhi Daredevils, on the other hand, his heroics as the skipper of the KKR is highly revered. Under his captaincy, KKR won the IPL trophy twice. During his captaincy period for Kolkata Knight Riders, he took many great decisions for the team which has now led to the success of the team. One of the very bold decision was of picking up Sunil Narine at the auctions.
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Sunil Narine has now become one of the most crucial players of Kolkata Knight Riders, he has been giving some really amazing performances. However, it was Gautam Gambhir who had convinced Shah Rukh Khan and Venky Mysore to pick Sunil Narine at the auctions, half a decade ago.
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Both the owners had never heard of Sunil Narine back then but they still went with Gautam Gambhir and his decision and bought him for Rs. 4.71 crore.
Here’s the conversation that took place between SRK and Gautam Gambhir:
SRK: “Should we go for someone else? You’re saying that we need to go with Sunil Narine?”
Gambhir: “Till what budget do you want to go in the auction? How much is the limit?”
SRK: “Two million. But who is this guy? Are you sure you want him?”
Gambhir: “Yes. And if the limit is two million, go to two million. We don’t need anyone else.”
“I think neither Shah Rukh nor our CEO knew who he was because he had only played one game for West Indies before that. And when he got picked, he himself was surprised,” Gautam Gambhir had quoted about Sunil Narine’s selection.
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Unnati Madan
Unnati is a passionate cricket writer with a deep love and understanding of the game. As a female cricket writer, she brings a unique perspective to the sport, having had to overcome various challenges to pursue her passion for cricket. She has an experience of more than 5 years in the field of cricket writing.
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