Dubai: All eyes will be on Kolkata Knight Riders skipper and opener Gautam Gambhir when he comes out to bat against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Pepsi Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Thursday.
After two successive ducks, the former India opener, who has delectable shots in his repertoire, will be hoping to strike form.
After being dropped from the India Test team since December 2012 and from the One-Day International squad since January 2013, the stylish left-hander has been fighting hard to regain his touch. His teammates and coaches are hoping that he enjoys a resurgence, as they all know that if he does find his touch, then it will be bad news for all the opponents.
Former India all-rounder W.V. Raman, who is the batting coach of the Kolkata Knight Riders, said after working hard with Gambhir in the nets in Sharjah on Wednesday: “Gambhir is just one knock away from striking form. He is too good a player to allow this to happen for too long. Hopefully he will get going sooner rather than later and, once he gets going, you know what he is capable of. You know what has happened as far as results are concerned for Kolkata Knight Riders when he has got going. We are hoping that he will find his rhythm quickly.”
Kolkata’s in-form batsman Manish Pandey is also confident that his skipper can come good. “We all know what a player he is and when he gets going what he does. So obviously it’s you can say he has been a bit unlucky. We are all waiting that Gauti bhai to start getting runs as soon as possible, which will definitely help the team.”
Raman is eager for Gambhir and the batsmen in his team to bat with a positive outlook as he feels Sharjah is the right place to strike form.
“We have our plans in place but at the end of the day, it will all come down to the execution of those plans on the field. The pitch out here is fully in favour of the batsmen and the ground is small.
“But I feel that could work in the bowler’s favour at times and it depends what happens on the given day during a tight situation. We did see quite a few catches go down, but eventually it is about being there and keeping a positive frame of mind.”
In fact, Raman also believes that in Twenty20, luck plays a vital part. Talking about his team’s defeat to Delhi Daredevilson Saturday, he said: “We had the game under control until the last over against Delhi. But that is what happens in a T20 game wherein the match changes in a matter of just one over. In a tight game, you need a bit of luck. On that night, there were a few things that did not go our way, whereas on another night it would have gone our way and the result would have been different.”
