3 reasons why Jacques Kallis would be the ideal mentor for KKR
IPL 2024 champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are in search of a mentor after Gautam Gambhir was named as the Indian head coach. An influential figure in the KKR circle, it was under his mentorship that the Knight Riders won the title earlier in the year. Gambhir was roped in as the mentor ahead of the 2024 season.
Gambhir was also the captain of the Knight Riders when they won the title in 2012 and 2014 respectively. Even when he was made the mentor, the owner of the franchise Shahrukh Khan gave him leeway to take charge of the team in every capacity and try to make it an unbeatable force.
Just in his opening year in the mentorship capacity, Gambhir outshone everyone and despite not being their head coach looked like someone leading from the front. The players acknowledged the role of Gambhir following the title win emphasizing how influential he has been as a captain and a coach.
If a report in the Telegraph is to be believed, former South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis is the front-runner to take up the role left by Gambhir. Chandrakant Pandit will continue being the head coach of the franchise. Kallis was part of KKR’s triumphant campaigns in 2012 and 2014 and was appointed the coach in October 2015 when Trevor Bayliss resigned.
Having said that let us have a look at three reasons why Jacques Kallis will be an ideal mentor for the Kolkata Knight Riders.
#1 Kallis knows KKR inside out
Having played for the franchise in their victorious campaigns in 2012 and 2014, Kallis was immediately made KKR’s batting consultant in 2015 after his retirement. The franchise trusted the services of Kallis with the all-rounder being an integral part of the franchise both during his playing and mentorship days.
He also became the head coach of the franchise when Trevor Bayliss left and remained in the position until 2019 when he was appointed as the South African batting consultant. Kallis is very much aware of how the system at Kolkata works and his appointment might reap dividends for the three-time champions.
#2 Kallis’ calmness in the dugout could be beneficial for KKR
Despite being one of the finest all-rounders of all time, Kallis remained a pretty circumspect customer on the field without too much argy-bargy against the bowlers. He hardly gave it back to the batters as well when bowling and calmly went about his business.
Over the years, Kallis has excelled in all his coaching roles, and in a team where there are several aggressive players and people involved in the management, you need someone calm to keep the players in check. Having known KKR in and out, there might not be a better option than Kallis.
#3 Kallis is very familiar with local and overseas players
Another important criterion that makes Kallis a mentor material for Kolkata is his familiarity with both Indian and foreign cricketers. With most of the backroom staff being Indians, it's important to maintain a good balance between the local and the overseas players and who better than Kallis in charge.
Former South African and a current Namibia player David Wiese had questioned the approach of Chandrakant Pandit towards the foreign players and someone who knows the psyche of the overseas players can solve these issues.
With Gambhir having left the role open, there is no doubt Kallis could be a fitting person to take up KKR’s mentorship.