In a recent interview, former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Gautam Gambhir expressed regret over not identifying Suryakumar Yadav‘s potential during his tenure as captain. Gambhir, who led KKR for seven years, admitted that not recognizing Yadav’s talent or his best batting position in the lineup was his biggest regret.
Yadav, who currently plays for Mumbai Indians (MI) and has been a standout performer for them since 2018, was part of the KKR squad between 2014 and 2017. However, his performances for KKR were not as impactful as they have been for MI. Gambhir mentioned that due to team combinations, Yadav often batted lower down the order, which might have limited his effectiveness.
Gautam Gambhir said
Speaking about Yadav, Gambhir said, “A leader’s role is to identify the best potential and show it to the world. If there is one regret I have in my seven years of captaincy is that me and as a team never managed to use Suryakumar Yadav to the best of his potential. And the reason was down to combinations. You can only play one player at No. 3. And as a leader, you have to think about the other 10 players in the XI as well. He would have been way more effective at No. 3, but was equally good at No. 7,” he said.
Despite not being used to his full potential at KKR, Gambhir praised Yadav’s attitude and team spirit. He highlighted Yadav’s versatility in batting positions and his willingness to perform for the team in any role. Yadav was even appointed as the vice-captain of KKR in 2015, showcasing his importance to the team.
“He was also a team man. Anyone can be a good player, but being a team man is a difficult task. Whether you play him at No. 6 or 7 or bench him, he was always smiling and always ready to perform for the team. That is why we appointed him as the vice-captain,” he added.
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