Gautam Gambhir defends Hardik Pandya amid captaincy criticism

Kevin Pietersen and Gautam Gambhir were flashy batsmen with opinionated personalities. Both have earned a reputation for themselves as broadcasters and pundits by saying things as they are. But what happens when the two have a difference of opinion? Fireworks, correct? Okay, not quite.

Gambhir provided the ideal foundation by lambasting Pietersen and AB de Villiers for attacking Hardik Pandya's leadership in the IPL 2024. Both legendary cricketers questioned Hardik's leadership after Mumbai India's poor performance in the 17th edition of the event. However, Gambhir retaliated on Pietersen and de Villiers, claiming that both had nothing to offer as leaders.

What were their performances like when they took on the role of captain? Neither Kevin Pietersen nor AB de Villiers, in my opinion, have ever displayed any leadership qualities in their professional performances. Nothing. I believe their record is worse than that of any other leader if you check it out, Gambhir stated on Sportskeeda.

On Tuesday, a video featuring Gambhir's thoughts on Pietersen and de Villiers' captaincy went viral. Pietersen noticed that later in the day and decided to comment.

The former England hitter surprised everyone by not saying anything combative. To see the bright side of things, he added a couple of laughing emojis and agreed with Gambhir.

'He’s not wrong. I was a terrible captain!!!,' Pietersen tagged Gambhir in a post on X.

Gambhir vs Pietersen captaincy

What was Pietersen's level of performance as a captain? In 15 games (12 ODIs and 3 Tests), he led England in captaincy. Even though he averaged 52 in the games he captained England, he had an excellent batting performance, but the total result was not so great. Of the fifteen Test matches Pietersen led, England won just five and lost seven; two matches resulted in no results.

Pietersen's performance in the IPL as captain is lower. With just two victories in 14 games, the Delhi Capitals (then known as the Delhi Daredevils) finished bottom in the 2014 season, the only one under his leadership.

However, Gambhir has an exceptional track record as captain. In six ODIs, he batted for India and averaged ninety-nine runs. And India took four of those victories. Gambhir's track record as an IPL leader is self-evident. After MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma, he is the only captain to have won multiple IPL titles in leadership roles. In 2012 and 2014, he guided Kolkata Knight Riders to success, and he captained the team for seven years.

Even with one game remaining, KKR, led by Gambhir, has already secured a top-two finish with 19 points in the bank.