IPL 2019: Gautam Gambhir Urges Senior Cricketers to Back Dinesh Karthik

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) ended their six-match losing streak beating Mumbai Indians (MI) by 34 runs at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. However, Kolkata skipper Dinesh Karthik was under the scanner as his star teammate Andre Russell questionned team’s strategy along with his batting position. Karthik has handled things very well and now has got the support of former Kolkata skipper Gautam Gambhir. The former cricketer has urged the senior cricketers to support their current skipper.

Meanwhile, Kolkata Knight Riders made a delightful start to this edition of the Indian Premier League. They won four straight games to sit in the second spot of the points table after Chennai Super Kings. But they lost track to lose six consecutive matches to trail at the bottom half of the points table. Andre Russell tossed questions over teams strategy, and inability to bring in the right bowlers into the attack are the primary reasons behind their humiliating streak.

However, Gautam Gambhir, who led Kolkata to two IPL titles during his captaincy tenure, said that senior cricketers need to back Dinesh Karthik. He also urged the senior statesmen to safeguard his skipper and Gambhir is hopeful that someone is doing that in Kolkata’s dressing room.

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“Dinesh Karthik needs support from the senior members of the team. Sometimes, as a leader, you want someone to put his arm around you and say, “Things will happen, skipper”. I hope someone is doing this in the KKR dressing room,” wrote Gambhir in his column in TOI.

Kolkata ends losing streak

Andre Russell’s blistering knock of 80 runs from 40 including six boundaries and eight sixes helped Kolkata Knight Riders post 232 runs on the board. Previously, Chris Lynn and Shubman Gill added 96 runs for the first wicket to set the tone for Russell to come and utilise. Defending the target, Kolkata started well removing their top four batsmen in just 58 runs.

Since then, Hardik Pandya played the best innings of his life but failed to take his team over the rope. He scored 91 runs off just 34 deliveries, but once Harry Gurney got him in the 18th over, it was all over from the Mumbai Indians. With this victory, Kolkata still have kept their chances alive in the tournament.