Kevin Pietersen, one of the finest players to have played for England, isn’t someone who gets many points as a leader by former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir. In a scathing analysis of Pietersen’s captaincy credentials, Gambhir called him ‘worse than any other leader’ , while also putting the same stamp on former South Africa star AB de Villiers. As Gambhir’s comments took social media by storm, even Pietersen came across the verdict from the Kolkata Knight Riders mentor. To the surprise of many, the retired England batter took the comment rather sportingly.
“When they themselves did captaincy [were captains], what were their own performances like? I do not think that whether it is Kevin Pietersen or AB de Villiers, there have ever been performances in their careers from a leadership point of view. Nothing. If you look up their records, I think it’s worse than any other leader,” Gambhir had said in a chat on Sportskeeda.
In reply, Pietersen said: “He’s not wrong. I was a terrible captain!!! (followed by a few laughing emojis.”
He’s not wrong. I was a terrible captain!!!@GautamGambhir
— Kevin Pietersen (@KP24) May 14, 2024
Gambhir had also criticised AB de Villiers IPL career, despite the status of a ‘great’ that the South African enjoys because of his stint with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
“I don’t think AB de Villiers has even captained any game in the IPL or ultimately achieved anything apart from his own scores. I do not think he has achieved anything from a team point of view. Hardik Pandya is still an IPL-winning captain. So, you should only compare orange to oranges, not apples to oranges,” Gambhir had said for De Villiers.
Gambhir himself has done wonders in the IPL as captain, leading the Kolkata Knight Riders to two titles. Back as mentor for the IPL 2024 season, Gambhir played a big role in helping KKR become the first franchise to qualify for playoffs.
