Manjot Kalra looking forward to playing under Gambhir's captaincy

The eleventh edition of the cricketing gala, Indian Premier League (IPL) is just around the corner. Like always, there are numerous young players looking to grab the attention with their sensational performances and make it big for themselves this time around. One of the brightest amongst them is the hero of India’s recent U-19 World Cup victory, Manjot Kalra, who’ll be playing for the Delhi Daredevils (DD) franchise.

Gautam Gambhir, who has led the Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL title twice, will be leading the Delhi side this time and Kalra couldn’t be more excited to learn under the watchful eyes of the great cricketer. In a recent interview with The Indian Express, Kalra expressed his admiration for the veteran batsman and also reflected on his hopes from the tournament. The 19-year-old burst onto the international scene after his stunning knock worth 101 runs helped India clinch their fourth U-19 title.

Manjot Kalra confident of his side’s strength

Elucidating on his excitement to play under Gambhir’s captaincy, Kalra said, “Gautam Gambhir is someone who gives more than 100 percent of his efforts. He was so good for KKR, he handled the team brilliantly. It’s a great opportunity for me to play under his captaincy. During Ranji Trophy, he backed up the youngsters and he motivated them to come forward and express themselves. So, it is a good chance for me to play under him.”

In spite of being a youngster taking baby steps into the foray of international Cricket, Manjot Kalra is anything but a nervous figure. With big-shot players like Colin Munro, Jason Roy and Rishabh Pant in the side that guarantees a fair bit of competition for him, Kalra opined, “I am not nervous about the upcoming tournament. It is up to team’s management whether I get a chance to play or not but I see it as an opportunity to learn every day from such big players.”

Following his heroics in the U-19 World Cup, more than one IPL franchise had squabbled over Kalra in the auction and it was Delhi Daredevils who bagged him in the end. Talking about his intent in the coming one month of the high-octane tournament, the young man commented, “If I get a chance to perform, at whatever position, in whatever role the team management decides, I will give my 100 percent to the team. We have a well-balanced team this season. We have a number of great bowling options, and we also have a few all-rounders such as Chris Morris, who has been brilliant in IPL so far. So, we are expecting a great season for the Delhi Daredevils ahead.”