Former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir has revealed the role of vice-captain. He believes that some of the Indian Premier League (IPL) teams have missed the chance to groom them as well. He also pointed out that the system picks them based on how obedient they are so that they don’t become threats to their captains.
“I am all for a good leader and his legacy but for me the No. 2 in the ranks is a more important debate. I am not sure we give enough importance or relevance to the vice-captaincy in our cricket. In any good machinery, an organization or a team there is a No.2 who has dumped his ego and dreams in the garbage bin placed at the entrance of the office. From there on, he is busy carrying No. 1’s vision and firmly gazing at the bigger picture for the organization,” Gautam Gambhir wrote in his column for the Times of India.
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“Unfortunately in our systems a vice-captain is picked on the basis of how submissive he is. If he is deemed to be threat to the captain’s position, he is not picked for the role. Some of the current teams in the IPL have missed the opportunity to groom their no.2s. To me that is a bigger hurdle than not winning an IPL trophy,” he added.
The veteran has shared this might be the reason why teams have struggled with mid-season captaincy changes and they need to depend on experienced overseas players as well. Notably, Gautam Gambhir led KKR between 2011 and 2017 and won the titles twice as well.
However, he also praised Anil Kumble’s role as India’s vice-captain and how he was selfless as well as competitive in his cricketing days. It is also noteworthy that, after Rahul Dravid stepped down from the captaincy in 2007, Anil Kumble became the captain of India’s Test team. And, he led the team for a year before announcing his retirement during the 2008-09 Border-Gavaskar Trophy at home as well.
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“In my time I had seen Anil Kumble being an exemplary vice-captain for India. He was always selfless, a giver and yet fiercely competitive.”He was always ready to carry forward the team culture created by the leadership group of his time. It is a pity that vice-captain Kumble could not lead India for long,” concluded Gautam Gambhir.
