"Important to have a secure dressing room" - Gautam Gambhir on similarity between his and MS Dhoni's captaincy [SK Match ki Baat Exclusive]
Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir has agreed that the one common factor between his and MS Dhoni's captaincy styles is that they created a dressing room atmosphere where every player felt secured.
Gambhir shed light on how insecurity creeping in a player's mind can affect his on-field performance no matter how talented the player is. He believes giving the players security and backing them is one of the main fundamentals of a successful side that wins trophies.
Speaking exclusively to Sportskeeda on SK Match ki Baat, here's what Gautam Gambhir had to say about the similarity between his and MS Dhoni's captaincy:
"I feel insecurity is the biggest reason for a player's failure. It's not about ability. If you don't have the ability you won't reach the first-class, IPL, or international level in the first place. So it is important to have a secure dressing room. A secure dressing room is a happy dressing room and it eventually becomes a winning dressing room."
Gambhir won two IPL titles with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) as captain in the 2012 and 2014 editions of the league. He is back with KKR as a mentor and they are on track to get into the playoffs once again.
Gautam Gambhir on CSK's usage of MS Dhoni the finisher
The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have been giving MS Dhoni the entry points this season that make him face 8-10 balls on an average in his innings. The impact he has had is significant as Dhoni has scored 96 runs in the 37 balls he has faced at a mind-boggling strike rate of almost 260.
Here's what Gautam Gambhir had to say about Dhoni's impact:
"It is a strategy of CSK (Dhoni facing just 8-10 balls) and that has given Dhoni the freedom. Different teams have different strategies and CSK has done this for the past 2-3 years. The freedom has allowed Dhoni to have an impact. When you play 20-25 balls you have that responsibility to consolidate, but when it's just 8-10 balls you can go out there and express yourself with freedom."
Dhoni handed over the CSK captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad at the start of IPL 2024 and after a successful knee surgery last year, has pushed himself to play this season as a thank-you gesture to the fans. Whether or not this is his last IPL season is something only time will tell.