‘I would have played had I been picked’: Gautam Gambhir on not playing after leaving captaincy

Clearing the air behind not playing in the Indian Premier League after stepping down as skipper, Gautam Gambhir said he did not play because he was not picked up.

‘I would have played had I been picked,’ Gambhir said.

After a series of defeats, Gambhir stepped down as the skipper of Delhi and made way for young talent Shreyas Iyer.

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Even as a player he failed to make any big score as the 36-year-old had 85 runs in six matches played, including one half-century in the team’s season opener.

Gambhir’s resignation did not help as Delhi eventually ended up last in the table as the league stage.

However, the opener did not play any match for the franchise after stepping down, with reports suggesting he also decided to forego his entire Rs 2.8 crore salary for the season.

“A lot of people asked me why I didn’t play after stepping down from captaincy. My reply is simple: I would have played had I been picked.”

“A lot of people also ask me where did we go wrong? It is simple again: injuries to key players like [Kagiso] Rabada and [Chris] Morris, inability to build the right team combination, certain players not clicking, the team not playing important moments well and also the inability to handle pressure are all reasons for our failure," Gambhir said.

"I have always believed it is bowlers who win you games whatever be the format. I think we lacked there,” he added.

Gambhir also denied reports that he is considering retirement from the game in order to contest in the elections for the Delhi and District Cricket Association.

Delhi won their final two matches of the season but still ended up with only 10 points from 14 games.