Gautam Gambhir, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) mentor, has never been one to shy away from expressing his opinions. Known for his aggressive playing style during his career, Gambhir recently shared his thoughts on the concept of the “spirit of cricket.” In a candid conversation with Ravichandran Ashwin on the latter’s YouTube channel, Gambhir asserted that the spirit of cricket holds little significance. He opined that it stands as ‘nothing‘ for the former Indian batsman.
‘Spirit of cricket’ and Gambhir’s take on it
Cricket, often referred to as the “gentleman’s game,” has long been associated with certain unwritten rules and codes of conduct. These unwritten rules encompass fair play, and maintaining the integrity of the game. However, Gambhir challenges the conventional notion surrounding the spirit of cricket.
“If you ask me, nothing,” Gambhir stated emphatically when questioned about the spirit of cricket. According to him, players should focus on playing within the boundaries set by the laws of the game. As long as cricketers adhere to these rules, they have every right to play hard and win. Gambhir’s stance is clear: Victory matters, regardless of the manner in which it is achieved.
“If you ask me, nothing. Spirit of the game, everyone plays within the spirit of the game. Whatever is written in laws, you’ve got all the right to use it. You’ve not done any match fixing and not tampered with the ball. You’ve got all the right to play hard. And got all the right to win a game of cricket within the rules of the game irrespective of how you win. That’s about it and that is what is the spirit of the game.”
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To illustrate his point, Gambhir referred to a memorable match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. In the final over, LSG needed just one run to win, with nine wickets down. Harshal Patel, playing for RCB, attempted to run out Ravi Bishnoi at the non-striker’s end. Unfortunately for Patel, he missed, and LSG secured victory by running a single off byes.
Many fans and pundits questioned Patel’s actions, arguing that they violated the spirit of cricket. However, Gambhir, who was LSG’s coach at that time, took a pragmatic view. He asserted that it was the non-striker’s responsibility to hold their ground. Had Bishnoi been mankaded (a controversial dismissal where bowler runs out the non-striker before delivering the ball), Gambhir would have accepted it.
While giving his views, Gambhir asserted, “I would have been fine with it. I would have been fine with it because it was the non-strikers responsibility to hold its ground. And that is something. Had Bishnoi got mankaded, I would have been fine with it. know obviously I might have been sad because we wouldn’t have won that game. But then it’s up to the non-strikers. Absolutely.”
