IPL 2022: ‘Guru’ Gambhir uses his ‘KKR template’ to give a second breath to KL Rahul’s captaincy ambitions- Gautam Gambhir is a politician of choice but a cricketer at heart whose brain never ticks in terms of ideas, planning and implementation. Follow IPL 2022 live updates on InsideSport.IN
In his playing days, Gambhir was probably not the best captain in India but he showed his leadership skills when he won two titles in his time with the KKR franchise.
IPL 2022: ‘Guru’ Gambhir uses his ‘KKR template’ to give a second breath to KL Rahul’s captaincy ambition
There were days when Gambhir had absolute control over the narrative because he could be present in a lot of things and pull one or two strings to chain things.
For a ‘mentor’ (chief strategist of Lucknow Super Giants), Gambhir can only hope that captain KL Rahul is 100 per cent sincere in implementing the plan as he awaits the dug-out.
In an interview with PTI before the start of the tournament, Gambhir said: “I want KL Rahul Batter, who is the captain better than any other round.”
Rahul is now the second highest run-getter in the IPL below two centuries. Above all, he looks more sorted as a captain than he was a few months ago when he led India.
So did ‘Guru Gambhir’ knowingly or unknowingly help Rahul to use his latent leadership qualities? Does Gambhir 2.0 again make Rahul 2.0 a strong leadership candidate for national jobs in the near future?
Well, the jury is still out because Rahul is keen to do better than what he has done for the Punjab Kings in his two years.
But there may be indications that Gambhir is trying to mirror his 2012-14 KKR template.
Those who have watched Gambhir closely in Delhi cricket know that he can be bullish when he wants something and so when it comes to making Rahul captain, Mentor had no other name in mind and did not even consider the catastrophe of his results. .
IPL 2022: ‘Guru’ Gambhir uses his ‘KKR template’ to give a second breath to KL Rahul’s captaincy ambition
Gambhir likes a captain who can gamble and is probably persuading Rahul to try Ayush Badoni as a bowler and snatch someone like Suryakumar Yadav.
So what is seriously reflecting the strategy?
When he was captain of KKR in 2012, his only superstars were Brett Lee and Jacques Kallis.
Now looking at the current LSG squad, there is no other superstar except Rahul.
If Lee had been a quick tearway, KKR, LSG would have had a hostile skin. KKR had Kallis and it’s hard to compare someone like him, they have Marcus Stones as their number one fast bowling all-rounder.
Gambhir always likes the idea of hitting the length of a long fast bowler. He had Morne Morkel at KKR, where Jason Holder played the role in LSG.
Manish Pandey batted at number three for KKR in 2014 and he is doing the same for LSG again. No. 4 is occupied by Deepak Hooda, Yusuf Pathan has played a role in KKR rank.
Left-arm all-rounder Shakib-Al Hasan then followed Yusuf Pathan in the batting line-up. Another left-arm all-rounder, Krunal Pandya, is following the young Hooda here.
IPL 2022: ‘Guru’ Gambhir uses his ‘KKR template’ to give a second breath to KL Rahul’s captaincy ambition
Among the spinners was Ravi Vishnu with LSG, and then Piyush Chawla of KKR.
KKR had Umesh Yadav and LSG now has Avesh Khan. If there is one weapon and one fatal missing, it is Sunil Narine.
When Gambhir discovered Badoni at Bailen in Chhatarpur
Unveiling new talent has always been a force for seriousness and the explosion of Ayush Badoni in the IPL universe can only be attributed to the proper exertion of the former right foot.
The LSG trials on January 5 were canceled due to COVID-19 but Gambhir was told that Badoni was training at a field in Mehrauli in Delhi’s Chhattarpur area.
“Gauti told us that Ayush should not have known that the child would feel stressed if he did not come to see her. He was in his SUV and saw 15 deliveries to him from there. The next thing he said was that on February 13, he would pick up the paddle for Badoni at auction. A source close to Gambhir told PTI.
Feeling safe
Manish Pandey is having a terrible season and it is not certain whether he will play the next match. But like the serious Mahendra Singh Dhoni. If he had invested in someone, he would have gone the distance for that player and in this case KKR’s 2014 final hero Manish.
IPL 2022: ‘Guru’ Gambhir uses his ‘KKR template’ to give a second breath to KL Rahul’s captaincy ambition
Follow InsideSport on GOOGLE NEWS
