Gautam Gambhir was widely credited as the team mentor for his role in Kolkata Knight Riders’ march to the IPL title in 2024.
It was on the back of this success that Gambhir was given the job of coaching India last July. With the 43-year-old having to part ways with KKR as a result, pacer Harshit Rana was asked on Monday whether the franchise was feeling Gambhir’s absence.
“Our support staff is basically the same. Abhishek Nayar is back too, but the thrill factor that GG brought in is missing, that’s what I personally feel I miss,” Rana said.
On being pressed to elaborate, Rana referred to Gambhir’s aura. “You also know that he has an aura with which he takes the team along. I was just referring to that.”
No coach can change a player over 4-6 weeks in franchise cricket: Pietersen
In the prime of his playing career, Kevin Pietersen relished the centrestage. All eyes would be transfixed on the England batting stalwart as he plonked his front foot down the pitch and took on all types of bowlers. He was the inventor of the switch hit, a shot that has become a matter of convention for the contemporary batter.
When Delhi Capitals brought Pietersen on board as mentor for this year’s IPL, it would have hoped for the 44-year-old to pass on some of his vast expertise and experience to the current lot of players. But in a two-month tournament like the IPL, amid a taxing concoction of frequent matches, incessant travel and off-field commitments, it is worth asking whether a high-profile coach or mentor can really make a substantive difference to a player’s technique and outlook.
READ: DC vs KKR, IPL 2025 preview: Spinners, surface in spotlight as Capitals take on Knight Riders
“I always knew that when I was playing franchise cricket, no particular coach could change you over that four-to-six-week period. Last night, I was working on something with Abishek Porel. We’re five weeks into the tournament, and I told Abi that this is not going to work for you tomorrow. It might not work for you next week, but if you keep working on it over the next two to four months, I promise you this is going to help you become a more destructive batter,” Pietersen told the media on Sunday.
“So, the key is to lay foundations now and then. Also, just mentally trying to switch a few players on and make them think better. Trying to change technique takes time because it’s training the brain through repetition. Whereas the mental switch, there you can have an impact.”
In a lighter vein, Pietersen’s banter with K.L. Rahul has elicited a few laughs on social media. Rendering praise on the 33-year-old for playing a starring role for DC so far, the former England captain said: “When you’ve got to become a different player for a format that is evolving all the time, it’s difficult. So, the way that Rahul has changed is of credit to the person he is. I’d have Rahul bat at four and keep wickets for India in T20Is.”
