Gautam Gambhir is the mentor of Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2024. Under his guidance, Kolkata Knight Riders are on top of the league stage and are just one win away from playing in the IPL final for the fourth time. Gautam Gambhir led KKR to the title in 2012 and 2014 when he was the captain.

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Gautam Gambhir has contributed a lot not only in IPL but also in Indian cricket. He played a key role in India winning the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 ODI World Cup.

However, in a chat show with Ravichandran Ashwin, Gautam Gambhir spoke about the early days of his career and the struggles he faced in age group cricket.

The foundation was not laid, so the selection was not made

Gautam Gambhir reveals how he was discriminated against in age group competitions. He says, 'I was maybe 12 or 13 when I tried out for the under-14s for the first time, but I didn't get on with the selectors, so I didn't get picked. From then on I promised myself that I would never touch anyone's feet and I would never let anyone touch my feet.

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Being from a rich family, taunts

Gautam Gambhir said that whenever he faces failure, his family background is also mentioned. He said, 'I remember when I failed in my career, be it U-16, U-19, Ranji Trophy or the start of my international career. People used to say that you come from a rich family, you don't need to play cricket. You have many options, you take care of your father's business. I hear these taunts all the time. After that I decided to defeat all these notions of people. I could do that.”

International career of Gautam Gambhir

Gambhir retired in March 2019. He retired after playing 58 Tests, 147 ODIs and 37 T20Is in his international career.

Gambhir has over 15,000 runs in first-class cricket and over 10,000 in ODI cricket. He has scored 4154 runs in Test cricket with 9 centuries and 22 fifties at an average of 41.95.

In ODIs, Gambhir has scored 5238 runs at an average of 39.68 with 11 centuries and 34 fifties, while in T20Is, Gambhir has scored 932 runs with 5 fifties at a strike rate of 119 in 37 matches.

Gambhir 2007 and 2011 World Cup finals hero

An integral part of the Indian team that won the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 World Cup, he scored 97 off 122 balls in the second half and resumed India's chase against Sri Lanka despite early losses to Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar.

Active as a critical commentator after retirement. He was the mentor for Lucknow Super Giants in the 2022 and 2023 seasons of IPL. This year he returned to KKR as a team mentor and the team topped the points table in the league round. They will face Sunrisers Hyderabad in the first qualifier on Tuesday.