Pathan & Shukla repaid my faith at the most appropriate time: Gambhir

Kolkata Knight Riders’ skipper faith in his core group paid off when Yusuf Pathan and Laxmi Ratan Shukla played pivotal role in KKR’s win against Delhi Daredevils in the IPL playoff. Citing the example of Pathan and Shukla, Gambhir said his players deserved the trust and opportunities he gave them, and they repaid the debt at the most appropriate time.

“I said after we lost to Chennai at home and I say it now that we have a core group of players and I wanted to give them faith and confidence so that they could stand up to these kind of situations,” Gambhir said, according to a report in The Times Of India.

“People asked me why I am sticking with Yusuf Pathan and I always said that it was a matter of time (before he strikes form), and he has done that. I didn’t want to keep chopping and changing. Whoever is there in the dressing room, are there because he has my faith and I back him completely.”

It is a fantastic achievement to reach the final, writes Jacques Kallis in Hindustan Times, adding that the IPL is a long and hard tournament and to win as many games as they did is a great reflection of the attitude of the KKR players and reward for the hard work they have put in.

“It is hard to single out any of the players considering how consistent most of them have been but two stand out. First is the captain. Gauti has been a hard but popular leader and his runs at the top of the order have been crucial. The second is Sunil Narine. On a helpful surface I would rate him as highly as most spinners I have ever faced. When people ask me what his ‘secret’ is, I have to reply honestly and say ‘I don’t know!’ I have faced him in the nets through the last seven weeks and I still can’t pick him. Seriously!,” writes Kallis.

Meanwhile the brother of Sahil Peerzada, who was punched allegedly by Luke Pomersbach when he objected to molesting his girlfriend, on Wednesday claimed they do not want to pursue the case, triggering speculation that both parties are eyeing an out-of-court settlement, says a report in The DNA.

Royal Challengers Bangalore’s Australian recruit was arrested last Friday after American national Zohal Hamid alleged he molested her and hit her fiance Peerzada when he objected to the cricketer’s behaviour. Sahil’s brother Pheroz said that Pomersbach should not have done what he did. “He should have respect for women. Luke has done a blunder. He should apologise and we should also forgive and forget. We don’t want to pursue against Luke. We have not been pressurised by anyone. No one has approached us,” he told a TV channel.