Gautam Gambhir recently hit back at the critics of Hardik Pandya’s captaincy in the ongoing IPL 2024 questioning the ‘experts’ own leadership credentials. Five-time IPL winners Mumbai Indians who appointed Pandya as captain ahead of the season, have been off-color throughout resulting in an early elimination from the playoffs race.
Gautam Gambhir was asked about the criticism of Pandya from the likes of Kevin Pietersen and AB de Villiers, he said their tune would have been quite different if MI weren’t having a bad season.
Gautam Gambhir on Hardik Pandya and MI’s performance.
“Experts will keep on saying something,” Gautam Gambhir said on Sportskeeda. “For me, the captaincy is judged on the basis of performances. If Mumbai Indians were doing well, these same experts would be lauding him. If this same setup ends up performing well next year, the opinions will be opposite and become the headlines.”
Pandya had left MI ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction and joined Gujarat Titans, a franchise whom he led to two finals in a row, winning the title on first attempt. After two fruitful seasons, he returned to MI as captain.
Gautam Gambhir defended Pandya saying the allrounder should be given more time since it takes time for a player from a different franchise to get accustomed to a different setup.
“We have to realize Hardik Pandya came from a different franchise and it takes time (to deliver),” Gautam Gambhir said. “Give him some time. To expect he will instantly deliver, it’s not that he cannot, he can. Judging him every match, every little step isn’t right.”
“I don’t think Kevin Pietersen or AB de Villiers had any notable performances as a leader. Check their records. I don’t think ABD ever captained in IPL or achieved as a leader apart from his own scores. Hardik Pandya is still an IPL winning captain. So only compare oranges to oranges, not apple to oranges,” he added.
Kevin Pietersen has a humorous reply to Gautam Gambhir’s scrutiny on his captaincy during IPL 2024.
Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen accepted Gautam Gambhir’s criticism of his captaincy through a reply on Twitter. The latter had defended Hardik Pandya’s shaky first season as captain on his return to the Mumbai Indians (MI) in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL), following criticism by the likes of Pietersen and AB de Villiers.
During a recent exclusive interaction with Sportskeeda, Gautam Gambhir remarked that those criticizing Pandya have woeful captaincy records themselves, and are not able leaders.
“When they themselves did captaincy [were captains], what were their own performances like? I do not think that whether it is Kevin Pietersen or AB de Villiers, there has ever been performances in their careers from a leadership point of view. Nothing. If you look up their records, it would be worse than any other leader,” Gambhir told Sportskeeda.
“I don’t think AB de Villiers has even captained any game in the IPL or ultimately achieved anything apart from his own scores. I do not think he has achieved anything from a team point of view. Hardik Pandya is still an IPL winning captain. So, you should only compare orange to oranges, not apples to oranges,” he added.
Replying to the clip of the video on Twitter, Pietersen admitted that is indeed the case, and wholeheartedly accepted the premise.
“He’s not wrong. I was a terrible captain!!!,” Pietersen wrote. AB de Villiers had recently remarked that Pandya’s captaincy was ego-driven, while Pietersen had accused the MI skipper of ‘acting happy when he is not’, and ‘smiling too much’.
Kevin Pietersen has led England in the past, as well as a couple of IPL franchises
Pietersen has led England across 12 ODIs, which includes a brutal 0-5 whitewash against India in 2008. Overall, he led the nation to four wins, with two matches in his reign leading ending in no result. In the longest format, he has led England in three matches, including the famous Chepauk Test against India in 2008, where India chased down 387 to win by six wickets. He has one win, one draw, and one loss in his record in the format.
As far as the IPL is concerned, Pietersen led the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and the Delhi Daredevils (now renamed as Delhi Capitals). He led RCB across six matches in the 2009 season, out of which he recorded only two wins. His second and final captaincy stint in the IPL came in the 2014 season, where Delhi finished at the bottom of the table with only two wins. His overall IPL captaincy record reads – three wins in 17 matches.