New Delhi, India
Former India opener and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Gautam Gambhir has aimed a sly dig at current KKR captain Eoin Morgan ahead of the start of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 playoffs. Gambhir called KKR's video analyst the 'captain' of the side and said it feels like captaincy is happening off the field when it comes to the Kolkata franchise this season.
Kolkata Knight Riders scripted a remarkable turnaround in the UAE leg of IPL 2021 to qualify for the playoffs. The Morgan-led side had managed only 2 wins in their first seven matches during the India leg of IPL 2021 and headed to UAE, needing at least five wins in their last seven matches to stand a chance at finishing in the top four.
KKR went on to win five out of their seven matches in the UAE leg, including comprehensive wins in their last two encounters to make it to the playoffs. They will be facing Virat Kohli's Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Eliminator on Monday (October 11). Ahead of the all-important game, Gambhir fires shots at Morgan while rating all four captains who have inspired their teams to playoffs this season.
"Morgan's point of view, I'm not sure because he doesn't captain, so it's the video analyst that captains the side. He only just looks at the video analyst, so I don't know whether he's the captain on the field or (if the) captaincy is happening off the field," said Gambhir on ESPN Cricinfo's show 'Runorder'.
The two-time IPL-winning captain picked Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni as the best one among all four. Gambhir believes Dhoni can handle the pressure best and has been instrumental in his side's remarkable redemption from finishing 7th last season to becoming the first team to reach the playoffs in IPL 2021. CSK will be up against table-toppers Delhi Capitals in the first Qualifier on Sunday (October 10).
"Purely from the captaincy point of view who can handle the pressure best, probably has to be Dhoni. Rishabh has the advantage from a point of view that he's got a lot of experience in the playing XI. If Steve Smith plays, he's got him alongside. He has got Ravichandran Ashwin who has captained earlier as well... so for me Dhoni is No. 1 at the moment," Gambhir added.
CSK and DC will lock horns in Qualifier 1 at the Dubai Internationa Stadium in Dubai on Sunday with a place in the final on the line.