Gautam Gambhir remembers instance where he had to apologize for dropping Brendon McCullum in front of everyone

Gautam Gambhir has revealed a unique dressing room instance from KKR in the IPL 2012. The former KKR skipper claimed that he apologized to Brendon McCullum in front of everyone after dropping him in the final of the season due to no mistake of his. In an interview recently, Gambhir talked about the incident and referred to it as an example of true leadership. 

Gambhir claimed that before the final of the IPL 2012 at Chennai, he apologized to McCullum in front of the entire team for dropping him. Gambhir claimed the team combination to be the reason behind his move. Gambhir praised himself as courageous in doing so. “Before leaving for that final at Chepauk, I actually said sorry to Brendon McCullum in front of the entire team,” said Gautam. 

“I said, ‘The reason is not your performance; the reason is our combination’,” added Gambhir in the interview. Gambir claimed that apologizing to McCullum was not a necessity. He went on to claim that had he not apologized in front of the entire team, he would have been hurt somewhere deep inside. The former KKR skipper claimed that he would have been guilty of a lack of communication. 

‘Leadership is not only about taking appreciation or shutting yourself off or taking credit’ – Gautam Gambhir

Gambhir claimed that Leadership is not just about taking credits and felt that it might be awkward, but a leader would only grow by doing so. “Leadership is not only about taking appreciation or shutting yourself off or taking credit. It’s about doing this stuff as well. Sometimes it’s awkward but that’s how you grow as a leader,” added the KKR mentor. 

As it turned out, KKR defied all odds and defeated CSK in their own backyard in the final. KKR avoided CSK winning a hat-trick of IPL titles. Despite scoring 190 runs in the final, KKR chased down the target. Manvinder Bisla was the hero for the visiting side, who scored 89 runs in 48 balls in the huge run chase. It was the first instance of a home team losing the final of the league.