Gautam Gambhir Opens Up On His 'Only Regret As KKR Captain'

Gautam Gambhir acknowledged that underutilizing Yadav's abilities stands out as his biggest regret of his captaincy stint with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

Gautam Gambhir, mentor of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, expressed his regret over not fully utilizing the talent of Suryakumar Yadav, during his tenure as captain of the team. Gambhir acknowledged that underutilizing Yadav's abilities stands out as his biggest regret of his captaincy stint with KKR.

During Gautam Gambhir's captaincy tenure with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) from 2011 to 2017, he steered the franchise to two IPL trophies in 2012 and 2014. Suryakumar Yadav joined KKR in 2014 and featured in 54 matches for the team until the end of the 2017 IPL season.

'SKY' often found himself batting at the lower order positions of 6 or 7 due to the presence of star batters like Robin Uthappa, Chris Lynn, and Sunil Narine at the top of the order.

Following his four-year stint with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Suryakumar Yadav joined Mumbai Indians in 2018. With MI, the star batter was given the chance to bat at the crucial number three position, which allowed him to showcase his T20 skills and talent more effectively.

In an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda, Gautam Gambhir said: 

"A leader's role is to identify the best potential and show it to the world. If there is one regret I have in my seven years of captaincy is that me and as a team never managed to use Suryakumar Yadav to the best of his potential. The reason was down to combinations.

"You can only play one player at No. 3. And as a leader, you have to think about the other 10 players in the XI as well. He would have been way more effective at No. 3, but was equally good at No. 7."

Gambhir added: 

"Whether you played him at No. 6 or 7 or benched him, he was always smiling and always ready to perform for the team. That’s why we appointed him as the vice-captain."

Gambhir asserted that Suryakumar isn't just one-format (T20) player and can has a lot to contribute in other formats as well.

"Suryakumar Yadav is not a one-format player. He has the ability to excel across all formats, and if you make yourself the one-format player, you would have under-achieved in your career. He can be dangerous in the ODI format as well, and I hope he will not make himself a one-format player and keep working hard," Gambhir told Sportskeeda.