If we win Ranji, it will be a massive slap in the face of many in DDCA: Gautam Gambhir
At the start of the 2015-16 Ranji Trophy season, Gautam Gambhir had an unenviable task at hand. He was leading a Delhi team whose core players had moved on or were dropped. Then, factionalism in the DDCA meant there was hardly any preparation before the season. Even at the best of times in recent years Delhi had failed to perform to their potential, so, under the circumstances, it was natural to be queasy about the chances of a team that was young and inexperienced. Gambhir himself was, after the first innings of the season opener in Jaipur last month. But then, under his stewardship, they quickly turned things around. In their most recent match, they vanquished Maharashtra in just two days. On what would have been the third day at the Kotla, The Indian Express caught up with a relaxed-looking Delhi captain at his home in Karol Bagh as he used the unexpected break to spend time with his family. Excerpts from an interview.
Delhi have 24 points from six matches and there is daylight between them and other teams in Group A. How do you feel: surprised, satisfied or vindicated?
It doesn’t surprise me. It doesn’t satisfy me. When we started this season, the preparation was far from ideal. Young kids in the team would look around and find that no one stood for us. No support from the association, from anyone, on any front. But that was an extra motivation for all of us to go there and win the Ranji Trophy. So yeah, we are topping the table, but the bigger goal is to win the Ranji Trophy. That will be a massive, massive slap in the face for a lot of people who haven’t done anything for cricket and yet have been on top posts in the DDCA.
But there is still a long way to go. I think it’s just a good start. We can’t be complacent. We may be at top of the table, but come November 15 (when Delhi play against Assam), 9’o clock, it will be even-stevens. Whether we have qualified, or whether we play a team which is at the bottom of the table, it doesn’t matter. All that matters is you’ve still got to go and play a good game of cricket and win it. That’s what excites me.
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In the very first match of the season, when the team got all out for 138 against Rajasthan in the first innings, was there any sort of apprehension that this season wasn’t going anywhere? What were you thinking when the wickets were falling all around you at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium?
There was a little bit of that feeling. Obviously, because it’s the start of the season and it’s a young team. You want to start the season on a good note. But then I always felt that this group of talented youngsters, who have been around for a few years, haven’t been given the opportunities they deserved. And I knew that over time, over the course of the season, they will do well. And they did. So yes, after that first innings there were doubts, but after the second, I was pretty confident.
How do you inspire the team? What did you tell them at the beginning of the season, with the side facing so many problems?
I have given a number of pep-talks. I spoke with them before the start of the season. You know how it happens in Delhi cricket. Lots of chopping and changing. So it’s natural for a youngster to feel insecure. I always believe this young side has a lot of good players — that is why they have been picked to play for Delhi — and they will deliver if we give them enough opportunities. These young players were not given enough chances in the last two years. They are given one game and then, suddenly, are dropped and then reinstated for one more game. You can’t get the best out of anyone that way.
So, I told them that whatever happens in the season, we were going to give them enough opportunities so that they can come out and play freely. We did that. And the players also kept their part of the bargain. They came and delivered. So far.
Despite having a number of good to great players, Delhi teams of the recent past have punched below their weight. Was this one of the reasons to blood in so many
Yes, that is why we took some tough calls before the season. There was no point for someone who is 24-25 to sit on the bench and waste his entire season only to come back next year, older and more insecure. Suddenly, if he doesn’t do well and gets dropped, his entire career gets wasted as well. This is not what you want to do to a young kid. So some of the decisions we took (dropping some old players) were only fair to these kids.
Personally, as a batman, how do you see the season so far. You started off with a couple of 90s in the first two matches, but the recent outings haven’t been as productive.
I would say it’s been decent. Obviously, you want to get big runs. But then, as a captain, you want to play on result-oriented wickets. You don’t want to end up with a huge tally of runs after eights games but with your team out of contention. So you play on wickets that produce results, that are difficult to bat on. 500-600 runs in 7-8 games takes you nowhere. You go and get big runs in quarterfinals, semifinals or the final, that’s what people remember. That has a bigger impact.
Does the fire to play for the Indian team still burn inside you?
At the moment, doing well for the Delhi team is my objective. All others things are by-products. If I start thinking that I want to make a comeback into the Indian team and I want to score runs for myself, it will be very selfish of me as a leader.
How did you feel when the on-pitch argument with Manoj Tiwary in the match against Bengal became ugly after he went to the press?
It’s fine. But accusing me of invoking Sourav’s name and suggesting that I made a remark about Bengalis was uncalled for. When two people are sledging on the field, you never get a third person involved. But if I give too much of importance, I would be giving importance to a lie. So there is no point reacting to it. I think people need to be mature enough. You play hard. Cricket is a hard game after all. Things happen on the field. It has happened between me and other players, but we always left it out there. What happens on the field should stay on the field. You have played international cricket, you should be mature enough to do it.
After Assam, you will be playing against Karnataka, your last league game. How important will that be?
It will be a good challenge. And you want to challenge yourself against good teams. We will be playing against the Ranji champions. It will be a good way to test ourselves, where we stand. If we win that match, we will be serious contenders to win the Ranji Trophy.
