"It's b*****t... if ever in need, I'll be the first one standing next to him" - Gautam Gambhir clears rumors of rift with MS Dhoni
After years of controversy, Gautam Gambhir has cleared the air on his relationship with his former teammate and captain MS Dhoni.
Known for speaking his heart out, Gambhir has often been on the receiving end of flak whenever he has talked about Dhoni. Subjects related to the 2011 World Cup, including the former's crucial 97 in the run chase and the latter's iconic match-winning six, have been especially feisty when it comes to media attention.
But in an interaction with Jatin Sapru on his YouTube show 'Over and Out', Gambhir said the rumors about him disliking Dhoni are "b*****t". He said he's always respected Dhoni and his contributions to Indian cricket, adding that if ever in need, he'll be the first person to stand by the wicketkeeper-batter.
Gambhir said:
"It's b*****t, it's crap. See I have so much of mutual respect for him and it'll always remain. I've said it on air, I'll say it on your channel, I can say it anywhere in front of 138 crore people, that if ever in need, I hope he's never in need, but if ever in need in life, I'll be the first one standing next to him because of what he's done for Indian cricket, what he's as a human being."
The former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain admitted that the two have had differences in opinions, but remarked that it never affected their mutual respect. He added:
"See we can have differences in opinion, you might look at the game a different way, I might look at the game in a different way. I've got my own opinions, he's got his own opinion. I've actually been the vice-captain the longest time when he was the captain... We've been rivals on the field when we played for our respective teams. But I've got so much mutual respect for him, for the kind of person, the kind of cricketer he is."
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Apart from the 2011 World Cup, the duo also played a major role in India's triumph in the 2007 T20 World Cup and many bilateral games across formats. While Gambhir retired in 2018 after playing over 200 internationals and leading KKR to two IPL titles, Dhoni is still the captain of the Chennai Super Kings.
"Had MS Dhoni batted at No.3, he would have broken all records" - Gautam Gambhir
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Apart from the controversies, Gambhir's opinion on how Dhoni would have been an even more decorated cricketer had he batted higher up the order in white-ball formats has also stood out over the years.
The cricketer-turned-politician reiterated that stance in the video, saying:
"And I can say it again, had he batted at No. 3, he would've broken all the records. We talk about some of the greats of No. 3 - he would've broken everything in white-ball cricket."
In 16 innings where he batted at No.3 in ODI cricket, Dhoni scored 993 runs at a phenomenal average of 82.75. His best white-ball knock - a 145-ball 183 against Sri Lanka in 2005 - also came from that position.
He was shunted down the order due to the dearth of finishers in the team and didn't take much time to make that position his own in the years to come.