Gautam Gambhir, the former Indian cricketer known for his straight talk, emphasises the importance of a cohesive team environment, stating that a secured dressing room is pivotal for team happiness. Gautam Gambhir believes captains should prioritise preventing leaks to maintain unity and focus within the team.
In his IPL journey, Gautam Gambhir led both Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Capitals (formerly Delhi Daredevils), steering KKR to victory in 2012 and 2014. Currently serving as KKR’s mentor, he has contributed to their success, making them the first team to qualify for the Qualifier 1 match in the IPL 2024 playoffs.
What Gautam Gambhir Said
Gautam Gambhir, the former IPL-winning captain, shared insights into his leadership experience during an interview with Sportskeeda on the Match Ki Baat show. When asked if he ever received captaincy advice from other players, Gambhir revealed,
“Honestly, I have never received any captaincy tips from anyone. I understood how captaincy works from my own experiences. I don’t want to sound arrogant or berate anyone but I became the captain that I was only because of my experiences,”
He shared insights from his time as captain and stated,
“The one thing that I learned during my captaincy tenure was the importance of dressing room atmosphere. It is a sacred place. You share so many things with your teammates in the dressing room. Just like a temple or a gurudwara is a sacred place, the dressing room is a sacred place for a player,”
“How much you respect the environment, how you do not leak any inside information from the dressing room, how you keep it a secure environment are the things that the matter the most. A secured dressing room is a happy dressing room,” he further added.
Gautam Gambhir on Captains Attending the Auctions
During the same show, Gautam Gambhir highlighted that captains often skip IPL Auctions, even when not occupied with international cricket commitments. He emphasised that since a significant portion of IPL success is determined at the auction table, captains should dedicate extra attention to the franchise during this crucial period.
“Auction matters a lot in IPL. It is 50% of your job. If you are assembling a squad of 22 to 24 players, you need quality, not quantity because only a quality player can take the place of another quality player,”
“One thing that I don’t understand is why don’t the captains attend the auctions if they are free. If you are the captain of your franchise and you aren’t playing international cricket at that time, then you should be part of the auction. Ultimately, you have to lead the team, you have to spend time with those players for the next 2-3 months,” Gambhir concluded.
While leading Kolkata Knight Riders, Gautam Gambhir actively participated in auctions, demonstrating his commitment to the team’s success. Similarly, former CSK captain MS Dhoni would offer suggestions to the owners during auctions. However, not all captains have shown similar enthusiasm for attending auctions over the years.