Chris Woakes looking forward to playing under the captaincy of Gautam Gambhir

English bowling all-rounder Chris Woakes bagged a whopping Rs. 4.2 crores in the IPL Auction 2017 in Bengaluru on Monday and will be playing for the two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders in this edition of the tournament. Undoubtedly Woakes is excited to play in front of huge crowds and relive the good memories of Eden Gardens where he bowled a fantastic last over a few days ago to give England their first victory on the India tour.

Woakes conceded that Virat Kohli is his favourite cricketer in the current Indian side and it is very tough to play against the modern day champion. He also lauded Kohli for maintaining great work ethics. “Legend is Sachin (Tendulkar) isn’t it? I think the way Virat Kohli goes about his business now is..you know he’s very good. He took over the team and led by example, that’s pretty impressive and it is so hard to look past Virat,” Woakes was quoted as saying by India Today.

Speaking of the whooping IPL contract Woakes said, I am hoping it to be a fantastic spin of my career. It will be a great experience, going to India, playing in such a fantastic tournament with world’s best players. It will not only be a good experience but also good for my game. Hopefully, I will learn from these players, learn from experienced coaches as well. If I could do that, it will be a positive step in the right direction.”

He also expressed his desire to play under the captaincy of Gautam Gambhir who has led KKR to two IPL trophies in a span of 3 years. “Gautam Gambhir is a brilliant player. He is very experienced and played in all sorts of conditions. Played for India for a long period of time. We recently played against him in the Test series before Christmas. His records speak for himself. I am looking forward to playing under his captaincy and looking forward to joining my Kolkata teammates,” Woakes said.

Also read: IPL 2017 Auction: 10 most expensive picks