IPL 2018: Never Said I Was Not Available For Selection: Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir has dismissed reports suggesting that he had asked the Delhi Daredevils (DD) team-management to not consider him for selection in the playing eleven after stepping down as captain.

The veteran batsman had sensationally stepped down as skipper after his side’s dismal start to the season eleven of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Under his captaincy, the Daredevils managed a solitary win in six games. Gambhir also failed to lead the team from the front. The former Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) captain started the season on a brilliant note, scoring 55 against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP).

However, his performance dipped after that. In the next four innings, he was dismissed for single-digit score thrice. Overall, he managed to score only 85 runs in six matches.

But despite his struggle, there were speculations that he would continue to open the innings. Many also thought that playing without the captaincy burden would allow Gambhir to bat freely.

However, things changed dramatically as Gambhir was not considered for selection at all after he himself stepped down. Prithvi Shaw cemented his place while Jason Roy, Colin Munro as well Glenn Maxwell were tried out as the other openers.

During the season, Shreyas Iyer had insisted that it was Gambhir’s decision to sit out.

“I didn’t make any call, to be honest.  It wasn’t my decision to drop him. He himself decided to sit out, which was really courageous decision with him being the captain in the previous matches. The respect for him has gone really high. It’s really [good to] see when a captain, if he’s not playing well, he backs out. Colin [Munro] came in and gave us the desired start,” Iyer said during the media briefing.

After the end of the season for the Daredevils, head coach Ricky Ponting reiterated it.

However, in a recent interview, Gautam Gambhir has dismissed the claims of Iyer and Ponting.

“Absolutely not. I never said that I was not available for selection. In fact, not only Ricky Ponting but the whole team management knows this. I was always available for team selection. I had no right to sit in the dressing room if I was not available for selection. If I was not ready to play for the team, I should have taken retirement rather than just stepping down,” he told ABP.

“I had stepped down as captain but I never conveyed that I was not available for team selection. I was absolutely ready for the team selection. I thought someone had to take the moral responsibility after the way we performed in the first six games. Every individual is different. Many feel that they can turn things around in 2-3 years and don’t take moral responsibility while many take it after just six games,” Gambhir asserted.