Gautam Gambhir names only the batsman he “feared”. Not Gayle, De Villiers, Dhoni or Kohli

As the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) look to take on the Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, the two-time champions’ mentor Gautam Gambhir spoke about his respect for Rohit Sharma. Although Gambhir has faced some of the best batsmen in the game during his active days as a cricketer, especially as captain of KKR, there is no batsman he has “feared” more than Rohit Sharma. In a candid chat with broadcaster IPL, Gambhir revealed that he often had to come up with various plans to stop Rohit from scoring runs.

Gambhir, during his cricket career, had to plan for famous batsmen like AB de Villiers, Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, etc. But it was Rohit against whom he had the toughest time.

“The only batsman I feared is Rohit Sharma. The only batsman who gave me sleepless nights… No Chris Gayle, no AB de Villiers, just Rohit. I always knew I needed to have a Plan A, a Plan B and probably a Plan C too because if Rohit is in, I don’t think anything can control him,” Gambhir told Star Sports.

The game recognizes the game

“The only batsman I feared in the IPL was @ImRo45“, @Gautam Gambhir praises Indian captain’s batting ability!

He will lead #TeamIndia to glory in #T20WorldCup2024?

| #MIvKKR | TODAY, 6:30 pm | #IPLOnStar pic.twitter.com/eEav5GbKG5

– Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) May 3, 2024

“I’ve never planned for any other batsman in the IPL except Rohit Sharma. There have been times when I’ve seen footage and said, ‘Fair enough. Plan A is fine’. But for Rohit, the night before I used it I think if that doesn’t work, I will have to look for another plan”, he added.

In IPL 2024, Sunil Narine has emerged as a consistent performer for KKR, both with the bat and the ball. While admitting that Narine vs Rohit is a battle he has his eye on, Gambhir also stated that he needs more than just West Indies’ 4 overs to keep Rohit in check.

“If Sunil hits four, then who will bowl the next 16? And if I finish Sunil early and Rohit is there, he can hit 30 in one. Probably, he was the only batsman I feared as captain,” he added.