Gambhir, who led KKR to two IPL titles in 2012 and 2014, is currently the mentor of the Kolkata-based franchise.
Gambhir and Dhoni share a long association as they both burst onto the scene at the same time.
Gambhir was an integral part of the Dhoni-led Indian teams that won the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 World Cup .
In the 2011 World Cup final between India and Sri Lanka, Dhoni and Gambhir put up a match-winning partnership of 109 runs for the fourth wicket.
Even to this day, people ask me why I couldn’t get those three runs,” Gambhir added.
MS Dhoni and Gautam Gambhir share a long association |Courtesy-AFP/BCCI/IPL
KEY HIGHLIGHTS CSK will face KKR in IPL 2024
MS Dhoni and Gautam Gambhir will go head-to-head
Gambhir is KKR's mentor while Dhoni is playing for CSK
The 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) will see a blockbuster clash on Monday (April 8) between the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, with the battle between Guatam Gambhir and MS Dhoni at the heart of the contest.
Gambhir, who led KKR to two IPL titles in 2012 and 2014, is currently the mentor of the Kolkata-based franchise. Dhoni, who has captained the Super Kings' to five IPL titles and is the joint most successful captain in the history of the IPL, is playing a full season as a non-captain of CSK for the first time in history.
Gambhir and Dhoni share a long association as they both burst onto the scene at the same time. Famously, they played together for India-A in a tri-series against Kenya and Pakistan-A in 2004 and shared some memorable partnerships. Gambhir was an integral part of the Dhoni-led Indian teams that won the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 World Cup .
In the 2011 World Cup final between India and Sri Lanka, Dhoni and Gambhir put up a match-winning partnership of 109 runs for the fourth wicket. Gambhir made a knock of 97 while Dhoni made an unbeaten 91, which included the famous winning six as the Men in Blue won the summit clash by six wickets with 10 balls to spare.
In an old interview, Gambhir blamed Dhoni for missing a century and stated that it was only the Indian captain who remained him about the milestone before which his focus was only on the team's target.
“I have been asked this question many times, as to what happened when I was on 97. I tell everyone that before getting to 97, I never thought about my individual score, but only looked at the target set by Sri Lanka. “I remember that after the completion of one over, Dhoni told me that ‘three runs are remaining, get these three runs and your hundred would be completed’,” Gambhir said in an interaction with Lallantop.
When your mind suddenly turns to your individual performance, individual score, then somewhere you have a rush of blood. Before that moment, my target was only to chase Sri Lanka’s target. If only that target remained in my mind, maybe, I would have easily scored my hundred.
“Till I was on 97, I was in the present. But as soon as I thought that I am just three runs away from getting a hundred, the rush of blood caused by the desire to get to a hundred took over. That’s why it’s important to remain in the present... When I was walking back to the dressing room after being dismissed, I said to myself that these three runs would trouble me for the rest of my life and that is true. Even to this day, people ask me why I couldn’t get those three runs,” Gambhir added.
Before the CSK-KKR clash, Gambhir was all praise for Dhoni and called him the country' most successful captain ever.
“I wanted to win. I am very clear in my mind. Friends, mutual respect, everything will remain. But when you are in the middle, I am captaining KKR and he is captaining CSK. If you ask him, he will probably give you the same answer. It’s about winning. Obviously, MS is the most successful captain India will ever have. I don’t think anyone can reach that level – winning 3 ICC trophies,” said Gambhir on Star Sports.
