‘I don’t take him seriously’ - Atul Wassan responds to Gautam Gambhir’s 'leadership' remark on AB de Villiers

Former cricketer and current Kolkata Knight Riders mentor Gautam Gambhir lashed out at AB de Villiers and Kevin Pietersen after the duo criticised Hardik Pandya for his poor captaincy in the ongoing IPL 2024. Gambhir mentioned that neither of the former cricketers achieved anything significant as a leader and should not question Pandya, who helped Gujarat Titans win the IPL in 2022 and finished runners-up in the following season.

Speaking about the remarks on de Villiers and Pietersen, former India cricketer Atul Wassan said that he doesn’t take Gambhir "seriously" as he has a habit of making such controversial statements.

Also Read - Gautam Gambhir hits back at AB de Villiers, Kevin Pietersen over Hardik Pandya criticism

“What are you saying? He is trying to create a controversy and he has a habit of it. I don’t take Gautam Gambhir seriously,” Wassan said in an interaction with India News.

Notably, Wassan’s relationship with Gambhir dates back to 2017, when the latter was captain of the Delhi team while the other was a selector. Gambhir was removed from captaincy in the same year and he later revealed that the selection committee did not inform him anything prior.

Later, in 2019, Wassan and the selection committee removed Rishabh Pant as the captain after his poor performances. The committee wanted to appoint a senior cricketer as captain but they ignored Gambhir’s presence and gave the baton to Pradeep Sangwan.

Also read: 'He’s not wrong, I was a terrible captain' - Kevin Pietersen on Gautam Gambhir's 'leadership' remark

Meanwhile, former England captain Pietersen also reacted to Gambhir’s comment and has accepted the criticism with humility. Notably, Pietersen won just 11 out of 36 matches as England captain. “He's not wrong. I was a terrible captain," Pietersen wrote with multiple laughter emojis on X.

On the other hand, under Gambhir, Kolkata are once again one of the title contenders. It’s now confirmed that the franchise will finish at the top of the table this season and with that, they will have two opportunities to make it to the final.