Gautam Gambhir

Ranchi: From an IPL-winning captain to leading a team which couldn’t make the play-offs in the very next edition, the wheel of fortune has turned rather dramatically for Gautam Gambhir.

But despite such a disappointing IPL-VI, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain deserves praise for not offering excuses.

It doesn’t count for much in actual terms, but Gambhir remained dignified in defeat.

Even on Wednesday evening, when the lifelines got exhausted, Gambhir didn’t do what some of the other captains may have done — single out the major disappointments.

There have been quite a few for KKR.

Yet, Gambhir was blunt and made his troops know exactly what he felt and where they stood.

“This (not being able to go for the kill) has been the story of KKR and I’m not going to hide behind a bush... We haven’t played good cricket and haven’t been consistent... If one is inconsistent, this is what will happen,” Gambhir said at the post-match ceremony.

The other day, Gambhir told The Telegraph that he’d been a “more competitive captain” in this IPL. At the JSCA’s International Stadium, after being knocked out by the bottom-placed Pune Warriors India, he seemed to have shrunk.

One felt sorry for Gambhir, KKR’s highest scorer in IPL-VI. One didn’t for Yusuf Pathan, though.

Four years ago, then wearing the Rajasthan Royals colours, Pathan entered the IPL’s Wall of Fame after making headlines in the very first Super Over.

Ironically, at the expense of KKR.

However, four years on, Pathan wrote his name on a very different Wall: Out obstructing the field (the first such dismissal in the IPL) when he was taking KKR home.

Gambhir described it as a “freak” happening, while former India captain Kapil Dev, speaking on TV, felt Pathan and the others would “learn” from the dismissal.

It’s assumed Pathan knew the law.

The camera caught Pathan wanting to uproot the railing leading up to the KKR dressing room, but he should actually have been reflecting on his moment of madness in the 18th over.

This year, clearly, KKR lacked the X factor provided by Sunil Narine in IPL-V. He’s still done extremely well (22 wickets), but most opponents took the far safer option of not challenging the Trinidadian.

With the Manoj Tiwarys not making it big, there was just too much on the shoulders of Gambhir and Jacques Kallis. The latter had to deliver with the ball as well.

One couldn’t disagree with Gambhir every time he spoke of the “class” in the dressing room. But champions have to be classy over the 22 yards.

Frankly, as the reigning champions, KKR were predictable. Some could also say they were flat.

With one match remaining, KKR have just six wins. The losses? Nine.

Nobody has an idea how KKR is going to look in 2014, after the next auction, but the owners will be tempted to cast their net wide.