Gautam Gambhir, the former Indian cricketer, has put his weight behind current Team India captain Virat Kohli after the latter’s statement was criticized by legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar.
Following India’s victory in historic Day-Night Test against Bangladesh which took place at Eden Gardens, Indian skipper Kohli credited the president of BCCI (Board of Cricket for Control in India) Sourav Ganguly for initiating the winning streak process that has now resulted in Team India asserting themselves on the field.
This statement of Virat Kohli didn’t go down well with former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar. He opposed the statement, saying India was winning in the 70s and 80s as well and people tend to forget that.
Gambhir also feels that Team India started winning more overseas matches only after Sourav Ganguly took over as captain.
When a reporter asked Gambhir about a statement given by Virat Kohli, he replied: “That is Virat Kohli’s personal thinking, There is no doubt we started winning outside India more under Sourav Ganguly’s captaincy.”
“Under previous captains like Sunil Gavaskar or Kapil Dev or another captain after them, India was always a dominant force at home.
However, under Ganguly, we started winning more outside India. I think what Virat Kohli said about taking Sourav Ganguly’s legacy forward, in terms of winning outside India, I agree with it,” Gambhir added
After India defeated Bangladesh by an innings and 46 runs in Kolkata, team India captain Virat Kohli said: “The idea is to establish yourself in the middle, and we have learned to stand up and give it back. It all started with Dada’s (Sourav Ganguly) team, and we are just carrying it forward.”
To this, Sunil Gavaskar said in the post-match show on Star Sports: “This is a fantastic win but I would like to make a point.”
“A lot of people still think that cricket started only in the 2000s. But the Indian team won overseas in the ‘70s. The Indian team also won away in 1986. India also drew series overseas. They lost as other teams did,” former cricketer added.
