Kolkata: In all praise for the contribution Sourav Ganguly has made to Indian cricket, Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Gautam Gambhir said that it was but natural that Kolkata cheered for their favourite son despite Ganguly leading the opposition.

With a packed Eden Gardens cheering Ganguly, Gambhir said, “He is a legend of the game. The contribution he has made to the sport both internationally and domestically is immense and it is natural for him to command the respect he gets. It was like playing an away game for us," Gambhir said at the post-match press conference.

Gambhir later said the crowd was behind KKR as well. "It was a 50:50 crowd and I thank them for being with us."

"He (Sourav) is a legend and I am still far away from the contribution he has made to the game. Only 10 percent of the crowd may have cheered for me," was the reply from the former Delhi Daredevils player when asked to compare the match with his game against the Daredevils in Delhi.

The southpaw was critical of his batsmen for their failure to put up a good total.

"We messed up big time. The kind of start we had with the depth in batting we could have easily got past 180. It's time the batsmen pulled up their socks. Every time there would not be a good start for them," said the skipper.

Describing the spell of Man of the Match Sunil Narine as crucial, the skipper hoped the Windies offie continued his good run in the tournament.

"His spell was crucial and helped us in winning the game. I hope his continues to play the way he is in the games to come.

"I am someone who hates to be complacent. We cannot sit back on our laurels. Each game is important for us and we hope to continue carrying forward the momentum," said Gambhir.

He credited team effort for their consistent good performance in the tournament. (IANS)