"People can win overseas, people can win as many Test matches, but it cannot get bigger than three ICC trophies" - Gautam Gambhir praises MS Dhoni
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) mentor Gautam Gambhir recently spoke about his hard-fought battles with MS Dhoni and the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) over the years. The two colossal figures have come up against each other on several memorable occasions during their captaincy careers, including the 2012 Indian Premier League (IPL) final.
Although Gambhir's playing career came to an end in 2018, he is still very much part of the proceedings in a coaching capacity, first with the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and now with his former franchise KKR, where he won two titles.
Gautam Gambhir spoke about his winning drive and opined that winning was above everything else for MS Dhoni as well.
"I want to win. I am very clear in my mind. There are people, yes. Friends, mutual respect, everything is different. Everything will always remain, but then, when you are in the middle, I am captaining KKR, he is captaining CSK, and if you ask him, if he was here instead of me, he will also say the same answer, it's about winning. I want to get back in a winning dressing room," Gambhir said on Star Sports ahead of KKR's clash with CSK.
MS Dhoni's captaincy career came to an end as he relinquished the leadership role ahead of the 2024 season. However, he left a rich legacy behind with three ICC trophies for India and five IPL titles for CSK, among several other honors.
Gambhir remarked that no one can eclipse Dhoni's laurels as a captain no matter what they do, as the former skipper delivered three ICC titles for India in a span of six years.
"MS is probably the most successful captain India will ever have. I don't think anyone can ever can reach that level, winning three ICC trophies. People can win overseas, people can win as many Test matches, but it cannot get bigger than three ICC trophies," Gautam Gambhir added.
"I knew that I had the bowling attack to actually challenge anyone in CSK" - Gautam Gambhir
Gautam Gambhir had shocked fans and pundits after setting an ultra-aggressive field for MS Dhoni once at the Eden Gardens, and the former player has had several such moments in his IPL career. As KKR skipper, he faced CSK 11 times, winning five matches, including the 2012 final at Chepauk.
Gambhir praised Dhoni's tactical and finishing abilities, saying he had to be at his absolute best across all aspects to get the better of his counterpart.
"In the IPL, I enjoyed every bit of it because I knew that MS had that tactical mindset. He was very good tactically, knew how to control the spinners, knew how to set the field against the spinners, and probably would never give up as well. He batted at No. 6 or 7 and knew that till the time he is there, he can finish off the game, even if he needed 20 runs in one over," Gautam Gambhir said (via the aforementioned source).
"But, at the same time, I knew that I had the bowling attack to actually challenge anyone in CSK. So, tactically I could be better than him, probably had to be better than him in every fact to actually beat him because Dhoni is not that aggressive on the field, but always knew that he is not going to give up. To beat Chennai, until you have not scored the final run you have not won the match. There are some teams against whom if you even go close, they end up giving, but not Chennai," Gambhir concluded.
The unbeaten KKR will lock horns with CSK at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Monday, April 8.