IPL 2018: Gautam Gambhir Pens an Emotional Letter After Stepping Down As Daredevils Skipper

Gautam Gambhir’s return to his first Indian Premier League (IPL) team Delhi Daredevils (DD) did not pan out on expected notes. He played with the domestic professional Twenty20 league franchise for the first three seasons before being signed up by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in 2011.

The Knight Riders paid a whopping amount of $2.4 million – to secure Gambhir’s services in 2011.

Southpaw Gambhir went on to justify the franchise’s decision with his consistent performances. Under Gambhir’s captaincy, the  Knight Riders qualified for the IPL playoffs and also made it to the Champions League Twenty20 (now scrapped), for the first time in 2011.

Aggressive batsman Gambhir eventually led the side to their first title in 2012 by beating former champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Two years later, he led the team to their second title, making the Knight Riders one of the most successful teams in the lucrative league.

His performance with the bat was equally impressive. He was the batting mainstay of the side since joining the side.

In the seven seasons, he scored 3,035 runs with the help of 27 half-centuries for the Riders.

And expectations were high that he would do wonders with Daredevils too. However, things did not unfold to see Gambhir firing with all cylinders.

Under his captaincy, the Daredevils are languishing at the bottom of the IPL 2018 points table.

In six games, the Daredevils won just one match. Gambhir also failed to lead his side from the front, scoring just 85 runs in as many matches.

Also Read: IPL 2018: Twitter Reacts as Gambhir Steps Down from Captaincy

Gambhir finally has had enough and decided to step down for the betterment of the team. And the southpaw has now penned down an emotional article, revealing how he reached the conclusion.

“My hotel suite on the 22nd floor has blinds covering vast glass windows. At the bottom of these blinds, there is a white plastic rod holding them together. Those who know me hate the fact that I keep my room freezing cold. It was no different on Monday night when I returned to my room after we lost to Kings XI Punjab,” he wrote in his column for TOI.

Daredevils had a golden opportunity – to end their losing streak after restricting Kings XI Punjab to 143 for eight.

But, they kept on losing wickets at regular intervals and were eventually restricted to 139 for eight.

“The air-conditioner was smashing on the blinds full tilt. It was around 1:00 AM and the silence in the room was only broken when the rod holding the blinds hit the wall. I don’t know if it was coincidence or God’s way of suggesting something but the sound of blinds hitting the wall had a striking similarity to the sound of a cricket ball hitting the stumps. Was it a sign that it was over?

“Each time the rod hit the wall I was reminded of my dismissals this year… reminded my team was at the bottom of the points table. Each time, it seemed my conscience was spanking me. With just 85 runs in six games, I can’t be leading DD. It was time for me to step down from captaincy.

“It was almost 2:00 AM and I was having an animated conversation with a friend in my hotel room. He was trying to talk me out of this decision by pointing at my IPL records, reminding me that I scored a half-century in the first game of this season etc. I told him that I have dropped the likes of Colin Munro, Amit Mishra, and Mohammed Shami after an odd bad game. By those standards, how can I be leading the team or be a part of the playing eleven after a string of single-digit scores? Friends and family are always blinded by love but I was searching for objectivity,” he wrote.

He further revealed that the team owners fully backed his decision before he revealed the decision to the team.

“Against their wishes, I met DD promoter Kiran K Gandhi and the CEO Hemant Dua on Tuesday evening. I told them that I would like to step down from captaincy. Both these gents have a heart of gold and are passionate beyond words about DD. They care a lot about the players and support staff. No wonder our chat was full of concern and logic but above all utmost honesty. After conveying it to them I shared my decision with coach Ricky Ponting on Wednesday afternoon and then the entire team,” he wrote.

Meanwhile, Gautam Gambhir has also decided to forego his entire salary of Rs 2.8 crore for the ongoing season.

Also, read: IPL 2018: Dhoni the Real Universe Boss, Rayudu Mr Iceman, Says Hayden