“It is important to have Rahul the batter, who is also captain rather than captain, who also bats” - LSG mentor Gambhir
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) mentor Gautam Gambhir has opined that he expects KL Rahul to be a batter who leads and not a captain who also bats.
29-year-old Rahul was appointed the skipper of the Lucknow franchise after being picked from the draft list ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 auction. He had previously led the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the T20 league. While he was highly impressive with the bat, the franchise struggled to make an impression.
In an interview with PTI, Gambhir opened up about his expectations from the IPL captain. He said:
"Ultimately, it is the leader who is the flag-bearer of a team and so it's Rahul who will lead Lucknow Super Giants on and off the field. For me, it is important to have KL Rahul the batter, who is also the captain of the team rather than KL Rahul, the captain, who also bats. I hope I am able to make you understand the difference.”
The LSG mentor urged the captain to take calculated risks and asserted that he would back Rahul when it came to making decisions. Gambhir said:
"Any captain should learn to take risks. I would want Rahul to take risks and unless you take calculated risks, you won't know if you would succeed or not. Also this time, Quinton de Kock will be our wicketkeeper, so with no keeping duties, he can be free and relaxed, concentrating on his batting and leadership.”
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Gambhir knows a thing or two about captaincy, having led the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to two IPL titles in 2012 and 2014.
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“I have never believed that you should play IPL looking at the national team” - Gautam Gambhir
Apart from being appointed LSG captain, Rahul is also in the reckoning for the Indian captaincy. He led the national side in South Africa when the regular skipper was unavailable.
Asked if there will be additional pressure on Rahul to prove his credentials as a future India captain, the former opener responded that this was the wrong way to look at things. He said:
"Know one thing. There is a difference between being talked up as a future India captain and ultimately being appointed India captain. I have never believed that you should play IPL looking at the national team. IPL is a platform to express one's self. One can grow as a leader but there are no guarantees that there is a time period that IPL will help you become India captain.”
Lucknow will begin their IPL 2022 schedule when they take on the Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on March 28.