Gautam Gambhir Namedrops MS Dhoni While Discussing Whether Captaincy Affects Player's Performance

Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir gave his take on whether captaincy affects a player’s game. He disagreed with that statement and cited the example of greats of Indian cricket in MS Dhoni and Anil Kumble.

Captaincy arguably plays a huge role in the game of cricket. The skipper of the team makes a big difference and sometimes his tactics even can outshine other teams and help the side win the game. Thanks to the leadership, many players have achieved great laurels in their careers.

The game of cricket has seen many captains over the years who have made a great name for themselves. One of the prime things as a captain is to lead from the front and there have been exceptional leaders who had terrifically managed leadership as well as their performances.

However, not everyone can cope with the pressure of leadership. There have been various players as well on whom captaincy took a toll. Their individual performance dipped after taking the role and they eventually had to quit.

But Gautam Gambhir feels that leadership doesn’t affect the batter’s game. He believes that it all depends on individual mindset and cited how even Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma proved that. Speaking to Sportskeeda, he explained:

“I don’t think being a captain affects a batter’s game. There have been many captains who have given great performances while being captains. It’s about the individual mindset. MS Dhoni, Sourav Ganguly, and Anil Kumble have performed well. Similarly, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have done it too

When a captain steps out to bat, his primary job is to score runs – Gautam Gambhir 

Gautam Gambhir stressed on his argument by saying that the primary job of the captain while batting is to score runs. He pointed out that captaincy is the additional responsibility given to a player and it comes only into effect once one gets out and completes his overs. He explained:

“When a captain steps out to bat, his primary job is to score runs. You are selected in the team as a batter or a bowler; captaincy is an additional responsibility given to you.

“While batting, if you’re going to think that I am the captain, the ball or the bat doesn’t know that you are the captain. You are a batter when you have the bat in your hand and a bowler when you have the ball. You become the captain when you get out or complete your over.”

Gautam Gambhir himself was a successful leader both for India and Kolkata Knight Riders. He led from the front in IPL and guided his team to two titles in 2012 and 2014. He will join his franchise yet again as he will be a mentor of the team.