Gautam Gambhir Was Like An Older Brother, He Was Never Short Of Encouraging Words - Manvinder Bisla

Manvinder Bisla, the former Kolkata Knight Riders batsman, talks about former skipper Gautam Gambhir’s leadership on and off the field.

Manvinder Bisla, who is famous for his Man of the Match title-winning batting performance in the 2012 IPL final versus Chennai Super Kings, says that Gambhir was extremely protective of his players; that he always gave them the backing and encouragement they needed – like an elder brother would do.

He further adds that whether the player performed in the middle or not, Gambhir demanded complete effort and commitment. He also mentions their assistant coach Vijay Dahiya a someone who was excellent at motivating.

“As a captain, Gautam was fiercely protective of his players. He was like an older brother. Win or lose, he needed to just see focus and intensity. Even when I wasn’t converting starts, he was never short of encouraging words if he saw the effort.

“So chats with him at different times during the competition gave me the reinforcement that I was very much valued. Vijay Dahiya, our assistant coach, was also a great motivator. These two made it easy for me to deal with both success and failure,” Manvinder Bisla told ESPNcrincinfo.

I’ll always remember that gesture from Gambhir: Manvinder Bisla

Manvinder Bisla talks about the day before the final, when he learned that pacer Lakshmipathy Balaji was injured and since an overseas pacer in Brett Lee came in the side, it was he who replaced opener, Brendon McCullum.

The 36-year old remembers that Gambhir quickly came up to him, hugged, and wished him luck for the big game – a gesture the right-hander would never forget.

He then went on and smashed 89 runs off 48 balls, in a knock laced with 8 fours and 5 sixes, to chase down 191 at the Chepauk.

“The afternoon of the final, after lunch we were all called for a team meeting. L Balaji had injured himself during the playoffs and was ruled out, so there had to be a forced change. Gautam announced I’d be part of the XI, in place of Balaji. It meant Brendon had to miss out. But no sooner was my name announced than he came up to me and gave me a big hug and wished me well. I’ll always remember that gesture,” the former opener recalled.

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