Former Delhi Daredevils captain Gautam Gambhir has clarified that he did not play in any match after stepping down as skipper midway through the 2018 season because he was not picked.
Gambhir had been appointed captain ahead of the season after returning to the Daredevils, following a seven-year stint with Kolkata Knight Riders. However, after Delhi just managed to win one out of their first six matches of the 2018 season, Gambhir resigned from captaincy. The 36-year-old had scored just 85 runs in those six matches, including one half-century in the team’s season opener.
Gambhir’s resignation did not help the Daredevils eventually as they still ended up last in the table as the league stage drew to a close on Sunday. However, the opener did not play any match for the franchise after stepping down, with reports suggesting he had also decided to forego his entire Rs 2.8 crore salary for the season.
“A lot of people asked me why I didn’t play after stepping down from captaincy,” Gambhir wrote in a column for Hindustan Times published on Wednesday. “My reply is simple: I would have played had I been picked.”
Delhi won their final two matches of the season but still ended up with only 10 points from 14 games. “A lot of people also ask me where did we go wrong,” Gambhir added. “It is simple again: injuries to key players like [Kagiso] Rabada and [Chris] Morris, inability to build the right team combination, certain players not clicking, the team not playing important moments well and also the inability to handle pressure are all reasons for our failure. I have always believed it is bowlers who win you games whatever be the format. I think we lacked there.”
Gambhir also denied reports that he is considering retirement from the game in order to contest in the elections for the Delhi and District Cricket Association. “I am still keen to play and win games for my teams,” he wrote. The 36-year-old also said that he is backing his former franchise KKR in their eliminator match against Rajasthan Royals on Wednesday.
“Besides my emotional attachment with my erstwhile team, I think the ‘purples’ have the experience of playing big games,” he wrote. “I have liked the way Dinesh Karthik has led the group. He has absorbed pressures well. I have loved the way he has handled Sunil Narine and Kuldeep Yadav’s bowling. I get a feeling it could once again be their day.”
Gambhir also lauded the Board of Control for Cricket in India for organising a women’s Twenty20 exhibition match on Tuesday featuring some of the best cricketers from around the world. “It is a smart way of initiating a probable franchisee cricket for women,” he said. “It may be some distance away but at least the initial voices are good.”