KKR have never been about one individual, it’s is about we, and not me: Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir is a no-nonsense man and when he took over the Kolkata Knight Rider’s captaincy last year, the team was in tatters. Though they reached the last-four in 2011, the KKR team management's quest for a champion team continued and Gambhir had huge responsibility, writes The Time Of India.

But he maintained a low profile and downplayed his role as skipper, crediting his team for the achievements in the IPL. "I've always said I hate to talk about individuals. KKR have never been about one individual, whether that's me or someone else. KKR is about we, and not me. That is what we wanted to prove to the country. It is the team that wins you games, not individuals. Each player has a specific role and each one is bound to contribute. They don't get selected just because they look good or they have something special. A bowler is picked to do a job and a batsman is picked to score runs, it's simple. Our journey in the IPL has been exceptional this year and whatever we achieved today, the credit goes to the team," Gambhir said.

According to a report in The DNA, Gambhir got a bit irritated when he was asked about West Indian spinner Narine’s contribution in team’s success. “Since the first press conference I did, I’ve said I hate to talk about individuals. It was not about Sunil Narine. KKR has never been about one individual, whether that’s me or someone else. There has been a lot of talk about my form. I got a hundred in Bangladesh, I had a decent ODI series, but it was not about that.

“We all wanted to prove to the nation that cricket is a team sport and credit should go to the team. If you want individual credit, you should play tennis, badminton or some individual sport. From the first day I put this to the team: there will be no single day when the credit goes to an individual.”
Meanwhile Jacques Kallis writes in Hindustan Times that it was a memorable Sunday for him. “The atmosphere was electric throughout and the match was a fitting climax to another excellent tournament. The greatest consolation for the Super Kings is that they did not 'lose' by performing poorly or making bad decisions. They rose to the occasion, as we knew they would, and played superb cricket. But on the day, KKR were marginally better. That's the way it goes. There has to be a winner and a loser,” writes Kallis.

“In the months and years to come, it won't matter who played in the final, even to those who missed out. The memories will be of the tournament and games we played to get to the final. Everyone will have their winners' medal and that is what matters. How ironic that I wrote before the final about the depth of our squad and not being dependent on two or three big stars. Well, our brightest stars - Gambhir and Narine - both had forgettable nights and it was left to an underrated, 'lesser' star to dominate. From the moment I joined Bisla in the middle, I could sense that he was buzzing with adrenalin. I told him to keep it simple and not be tempted to change his game because it was the final. It was important to stay with him for a while so that he did not feel the pressure of worrying about wickets,” adds Kallis.