Gautam Gambhir believes that RCB need to look beyond Virat Kohli if they are to succeed in the IPL.
Gautam Gambhir stressed that Virat Kohli is not as good an IPL captain as the likes of Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni.
Another year, another failed effort by the Royal Challengers Bangalore to win that exclusive IPL title. RCB endured a close defeat in the IPL 2020 Eliminator in the hands of the Sunrisers Hyderabad.
They had shown a lot of promise by winning 7 from their first 10 games this year. But in the end, they lost five games in a row and were knocked out of the IPL. Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir said that Virat Kohli must take responsibility for the team’s poor performance under his direction.
Following many a trophyless year, the former India cricketer believes it is time for the RCB to start looking for a new leader.
“Eight years into the tournament, eight years is a long time. Tell me any other captain or player who would have got eight years and wouldn’t have won the title and still continued with it. A captain needs to take accountability,” Gautam Gambhir told ESPNCricinfo.
“A remember a season in 2016 or 2017 where they got bowled out for 49. They got thrashed and we got a hundred in the first six overs. I have nothing against Virat Kohli. But somewhere down the line he must put his hand up and say yes I am responsible,” he further added.
It’s wrong to compare Virat Kohli to MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma as captains: Gautam Gambhir
Kohli’s captaincy has often been Contrasted with that of Mumbai Indians’ Rohit Sharma and Chennai Super Kings’ MS Dhoni. However, Gambhir emphasized that this comparison should not be made since Sharma and Dhoni have both won several titles as captains of their respective sides.
“We talk about Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni and then Virat Kohli? Not at all. MS Dhoni has won three titles, Rohit Sharma has won four titles and that is the reason why they captained for such a long time because they delivered. I am sure if Rohit Sharma wouldn’t have delivered for 8 years, he would have been removed as well, Gautam Gambhir said.
“So there should not be different yardsticks for different players. The problem, the accountability starts from the top, from the leader. When you take the credit, you must take criticism as well,” he further added.
He also considers that’d Rohit not sent as a skipper for eight years, even he would have lost his place as the pioneer of the team. As far as the former Kolkata Knight Riders skipper is concerned, Kohli’s captaincy is not up to the mark, and RCB will need a better captain if they are to lift the IPL name anytime soon.
