In the flamboyant world that is the IPL, two titles in three years isn't a bad track record for the very un-flamboyant Gautam Gambhir. He tells us how he will never do somersaults after a title win and how he gets along with SRK.
So when do we see you doing cartwheels after a win?
Never. That's not me. There was a point when I wasn't even wanting to get into the celebrations, wasn't willing to go to Kolkata to do all this felicitation and stuff, because I think for me it all finished as soon as we won the IPL.
The pure detached philosophy of the previous years?
I don't know... I've always believed that a sportsman is someone who will not see IPL as entertainment. I would personally see IPL as proper cricket. I think for me, IPL is all about what my team does on the field. What KKR does, what Shah Rukh or other owners do off the cricket field is their perspective. For me, I think it is all about how we play and people should recognize us for what we've done on the field. If you see the first three years of IPL, KKR was far more popular for things they were doing off the field. So when I took over, my only personal ambition was that it should be remembered as a team which does really well on the field. So for me, I felt finished as soon as we won the IPL. It was never about celebrations. It was never about doing cartwheels and going crazy after the win.
As a captain now, who's done this, winning the IPL, twice in three years, what are your takeaways, temperamentally?
You need to think out of the box. Second, you need to take some strong decisions, which is very important. I think there are times in this tournament we've taken very strong decisions. Someone making Kallis sit out is always a big decision. Someone with his stature, someone with his aura. Then, I've always been a strong believer that transparency and selflessness is the biggest attitude for any leader. After the first three games where I couldn't score a run, lots of people told me, "You should try and bat in the middle order, so that at least you'll get some runs on the board and get some confidence and go at the top of the order." I never wanted to do that.
Just in that one game against King's XI where I batted number three, it was only the team's point of view. After four games, I had one run. Then I realized that as a leader you can never shield yourself in any situation. The day you're trying to protect yourself, it will impact the entire squad too. Other people will also start shielding themselves. They will try and say, "Let us score our own runs and let us concentrate on our performances." So I took a decision that I will open the batting and I will face the first ball in the next match against Rajasthan Royals, and I had decided already in my mind that if I don't perform, I would rather drop myself than shield myself and come in the middle order. Because that is not the way a leader goes about his business. It is always better to drop yourself from the playing 11 rather than shielding yourself, because the day you try to shield yourself as a leader, there'll be massive problems in the team. For someone who scored only one run in the first four games, it is very difficult for him to go and face the first ball.
This tournament could be an interesting chapter in your biography someday. Because it began as absolutely the worst as a batsman and a captain as well.
It taught me a lot of lessons as a leader as well. Maybe I would've never experienced these things, I would've never thought on these lines if I would've started this tournament on a high, if I'd scored runs.
What would've been your team owner's perspective if you dropped yourself?
Nothing. They've never interfered with my job. They've never questioned my team selection, they've never questioned who should play, who should not play. And they've never interfered in my cricketing matters. I think if I don't deserve to be in the best playing 11, I should not be part of the playing 11. Yeah, if I deserve to be part of the playing 11, then I can lead this side. That is how I want to go about things. I don't want to go about things where people are saying that, "Okay Gautam, captain, and then the ten." No. Gautam first as a player who was part of the best playing 11, who can go out there and do the job for the team. And then, if you think that I have the capability to lead those ten men, I will do that. If I don't deserve to be part of the best playing 11, if I'm not contributing to the best playing 11, then I should drop myself.
This is a very "putting the team ahead" perspective, but there's also a contra point to this approach. While interviewing Hugh Jackman, I'd asked him - since he follows cricket fairly religiously - of all the X-Men mutants, who would make the best cricketer? His point was, "You know, it's not about the playing." So he was talking about, say, how the English took Mike Brearly as a captain, who's a strategist first and therefore captain by virtue of his mind - not his batting.
But if you see, the Australians have gone completely the other way. They have always talked about selecting the best playing 11 and then choosing a captain. I'm a complete supporter of the model. If you don't deserve to be part of the best playing 11, how can you earn the respect of the entire team? You should not be there as a leader just because you're a great strategist. Then it's like you're playing ten vs eleven.
My first job, when I go in the middle, as a batsman, is to contribute and try and score runs and that is when I'm only thinking about myself as a batter, that I want to put my team in a situation where they can dominate. And whether I score runs or don't, I get out for a few minutes, I sulk for a few minutes, I take off my pads and go and sit in the dugout, and then I'm sitting as a leader. Then I'm thinking from the team's point of view. Then I'm thinking what decisions I need to make. Whether we need to shuffle the order or not. But when I go in as a batter, I go in as a batter and not a captain. My captaincy skills only happen when I go on the field or when I've finished my batting. So I first get selected as a batsman who contributes. And then as a captain.
How does a team respond when the skipper takes a call saying, 'We'll do this', which is against logic, but is going purely by his gut. Do people give you a look?
I think it's the boss who is answerable when you don't do well. It's the boss who is in the firing line and I've always told Shah Rukh this. In the first year, when I was picked, I was obviously a little nervous about how much interference there will be. And he said, "This is your team. If you want to make it, you make it. You want to break it, you break it." And I told him that we will not talk in the middle of the tournament. I think there is no point discussing what is happening and what is not happening. After the tournament, however we perform, I will be answerable to all your questions. Whatever you throw at me, I will be as honest and as transparent as I can. So you can ask me any question, but once the tournament is finished. Whether we've done well, whether we've never done well.
And he was so happy because he thought I made a lot of sense. Because I was so clear in my mind. Whatever I want to do in the middle of the tournament, let me take that call. Because ultimately, I know that I'm going to be in the firing line, I have to be answerable to my players as well. If someone is batting at number three, you make him bat at number five, he would come up to you and ask, "Why am I not batting at number three? What have I done wrong?" You have to answer him because you have been given that job. You have to be answerable to the owner, to the media as well. So, because you're answerable to everyone, you should have the right to take all the calls. And I'm very happy that whatever has happened the last four years with KKR, I have taken all the calls on the cricket field.
So there is no 'Shah Rukh calling' on your phone after losing the first four games?
Never. I can say it from my heart that in the last four years, there has never been even one call. There has never been any interference about who should play, what to do. I think we've discussed this a couple of times. He explained to me that if someone tells him about acting, how bad he'd feel. And he said, "If someone comes up to you and tells you about cricket, I can imagine how bad you'd feel. You're the best guy in cricketing matters, so you should take all the calls." I'm very happy, and from that point of view, I've been very secure. And I've had a free hand.
You and Shah Rukh look to be totally opposite temperaments. Is it easier to work with somebody who has a different temperament, or is it complicated?
As I said earlier, for me, IPL is all about what we do on the cricket field. How KKR is playing on the field and what kind of cricket we are playing. After that, whatever happens, I personally don't want to be a part of it. I don't like it because for me, as I said, IPL finished as soon as the entire team lifted the cup. After that, I don't even remember who was doing what and Shah Rukh was doing what and other owners were doing what.
Obviously I can't change him. He's the owner, he's the big boss. He's given me the liberty, the way I want to go about my business. So there has been no interference, it has been an easy ride. Because if there would have been a lot of interference with someone like me, with my temperament, it would have been difficult. Because I want a lot of free hand, I like taking my own decisions, I like taking my own calls. Whether we are poles apart or not, he has never made my life difficult.
A small example from that point of view, when Sunil Narine was picked, it is a very interesting decision that happened. I still remember, I was in Australia during that time. We were on tour, the Indian team was in Australia. Our CEO called me and asked, "Tomorrow is the auction, so who do you think we should go for?" I said, "Let's go for Sunil Narine." "So who's this guy?" he asked. I said, "Just remember the name, forget about who's this guy. Just remember him." Obviously, he must have spoken to Shah Rukh and other owners, then he called me back and told me, "No one knows who this guy is!" And Shah Rukh called me - me and Natasha were in a mall - and he said, "Should we go for someone else? You're saying that we need to go with Sunil Narine?" I said, "Till what budget do you want to go in the auction? How much is the limit?" He said, "Two million. But who is this guy? Are you sure you want him?" I said, "Yes. And if the limit is two million, go to two million. We don't need anyone else."And he replied, "If you want him, we'll get him." And see what he's done. I think neither Shah Rukh nor our CEO knew who he was because he had only played one game for West Indies before that. And when he got picked, he himself was surprised. So that is the sort of free hand which has been given to me.
I see you doing far fewer ads than many of your colleagues.
I'm very conservative. The second thing is I'm just too shy for all these things. A lot of people after winning the IPL would've shown their emotions. I still remember going in the press conference and they asked me how I feel. And I said the same thing, "For me, mission accomplished. That's about it." They said, "Has it sunk in?" "There's nothing to sink in. We were here to win the IPL and we did it." That's what I've been picked for. I've not done anyone a favour, I've not done myself a favour. I've not done the team a favour. I think they've picked me with this objective that we will win the IPL. We have won the IPL. There is nothing to be surprised, there is nothing to be going over the top about because this was my job - to play the finals and win. They don't pay me so that I look beautiful or I talk well or I do different things or celebrate better. They're giving me money so that I can perform and I can lead the team the right way, and try and win, and that is what we've done. This has always been my point of view when I've walked down the field, and other than that, I've just been too shy. I'm just too closed at times.
But you must be getting more offers for ads you refused perhaps? Or you are seen as somebody who'll not come out and say yes?
Eventually, you need to realize what you want to achieve out of cricket. Do you want to achieve the limelight, that people should recognize you, or do you want to be known as someone who's gone out there and done something. Two IPL wins, no one can take these away from me. And there are a lot of other cricketers who would never have this in their CV. They can be everywhere, they can be seen on every billboard, but these records and performances will live with me forever. This is what you need to realize. Whether I'm playing or doing well so that I get more ads, or I want to be satisfied coming back home saying, "Yes, I was picked to do something and I've achieved it." That is a far better feeling for me than thinking, if I do well and if I get more ads, that is more satisfactory than winning the IPL.
For me, winning the IPL, scoring runs, and my performance and the team's performance, gives me more happiness than any other thing. So it is just your perspective of what you want to get out of cricket. And I've always been a strong believer that I want to do well for the team so that every time I walk out of the field I want to come back a winner. For me, winning does matter a lot. You must have heard a lot of people saying that results do not matter. You go out there, do your processes right, give your 100%. If winning is not everything, then why do people keep scores? Why do we always talk about who won this game? Why do we not say "Who's given more effort?" Even when you watch a cricket match, you ask, "Who's won?" You don't ask, "Is KKR putting in more effort or is the other team putting effort?"
For me, winning is everything. You might take it the wrong way, that how can someone say that winning is everything? But for me, it is. It fascinates me, it keeps me happy, it keeps me on my toes. It keeps me from complacency. Someone asked me after five games, I was giving a press conference, and they said, "I hope KKR does not get complacent." I said, "My team will never get complacent." They asked, "Why?" I said, "For me, winning is everything." Next time I walk on the field, I will not be thinking that we won five games in a row. For me it will only be about winning that game at any cost. Obviously, within the rules, but at any cost. So that always keeps me on my toes. That always makes me happy. Winning is the fascination which I have.