IPL 2022: No guarantee that IPL will help you become India captain- Gautam Gambhir fires warning to KL Rahul
India Today
Lucknow Super Giants mentor Gautam Gambhir opened up on KL Rahul's leadership, saying that the LSG skipper should not think of his India ambitions while leading in the IPL.
Lucknow Super Giants mentor Gautam Gambhir has fired a warning at his team's captain KL Rahul, saying that a leadership role in the Indian Premier League (IPL) does not guarantee India's captaincy. Gambhir also made it clear that Lucknow will need KL Rahul, the batter who also leads the team, instead of the captain who also bats in the upcoming IPL edition.
LSG skipper Rahul is India captain Rohit Sharma's designated deputy across formats and has been touted as a future captain of the national cricket team. Rahul has also captained the Indian team on a few occasions in Rohit's absence.
"Ultimately, it is the leader who is the flag-bearer of a team and so it's Rahul who will lead Lucknow Supergiants on and off the field. For me, it is important to have KL Rahul the batter, who is also the captain of the team, rather than KL Rahul, the captain, who also bats. I hope I am able to make you understand the difference," Gambhir was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
Gambhir would want Rahul to be "fearless" in his approach and because of that, he would get "all the freedom".
"Any captain should learn to take risks. I would want Rahul to take risks and, unless you take calculated risks, you won't know if you would succeed or not. Also, this time, Quinton de Kock will be our wicketkeeper, so with no keeping duties, he can be free and relaxed, concentrate on his batting and leadership," the two-time World Cup winner said.
But does it bother him as 'Mentor' that Rahul could feel the pressure of trying to prove his leadership qualities desperately since he is being talked about as a future Indian leader?
"Know one thing. There is a difference between being talked up as a future India captain and ultimately being appointed India captain," Gambhir was ruthless as ever.
