Delhi Daredevils (DD) have turned the tables in their game against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in an impressive win at their home venue. However, it came at the cost of Gautam Gambhir stepping down from the captaincy before opting to sit out from the playing XI against the Knight Riders on April 27.
Despite all the happenings around Gambhir, there is no lack of support for the experienced Indian cricketer.
Many in the stadium were wearing Daredevils’ jersey, while there were also 21 others who were cheering for him.
These 21 people were the family members of CRPF soldiers who lost their lives in the Naxalite attack in Sukma district of Chattisgarh on April 24, last year.
Gambhir, who takes a lot of social responsibility, has requested Daredevils and got complimentary tickets for them.
“I’d like to thank DD CEO Hemant Dua who provided complimentary tickets and team merchandise for the families and children,” Gambhir told PTI.
The southpaw is very much active in helping many people financially as well as morally through his foundation. He had sponsored many youngsters for their studies who lost their fathers.
“It’s been almost a year that these children lost their fathers in the attack. You can still see some moist eyes, some blank faces and confused smiles,” he added.
“These tender hearts seem to be caught up between the magnitude of their fathers’ sacrifice and its practical impact on theirs and their families’ lives. We can’t repair much except support them in whatever humble way and give them small pleasures like taking them to Ferozeshah Kotla to watch a game,” he maintained.
The bunch of people were left disappointed when they could not see Gambhir in action on Friday.
However, the veteran cricketer revealed that he tried to explain to them why he got dropped.
“Our interaction was full of fun, tears, laughter, and promises. Almost all of them wanted to know why I stepped down from DD captaincy. I tried explaining it to them but none of them looked convinced,” Gambhir said with a smile.
Gambhir future up in the air:
The 36-year-old has been at the forefront of Indian cricket’s success in the two world cups. He was also one of the most successful captains in IPL history.
However, things have not worked properly in his second stint at Delhi Daredevils.
The team looked sharp in the game against Kolkata Knight Riders.
Prithvi Shaw used his opportunity in the best way possible becoming the youngest player ever to score a fifty in an IPL game.
It remains to be seen if Gautam Gambhir will play in any of the coming games as the team will need to win almost all the games to qualify for playoffs this season.
Also, Read: IPL 2018: Dinesh Karthik Says KKR Need to Bowl Better to Qualify for the Playoffs