PERTH, AUSTRALIA - NOVEMBER 21: Gautam Gambhir, head coach of India looks on during an India Test Squad training session at Optus Stadium on November 21, 2024 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Poll Do you think Shreyas Iyer deserved more credit for KKR's IPL victory in 2024? No, Gambhir deserved the credit. Yes, he played a crucial role.Legendary India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has taken a jibe at Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir , saying that because of him, Shreyas Iyer didn't receive the due credit for guiding Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to their IPL triumph in 2024.Last year, Iyer played a pivotal role in steering KKR to their third IPL trophy . The Mumbai batter has continued his excellent run as a captain and has taken Punjab Kings (PBKS) to the playoffs for the first time since 2014.However, in 2024, Iyer never got the recognition he deserved for his captaincy, as KKR's then-mentor Gautam Gambhir walked away with most of the plaudits."He did not get the credit for the IPL victory last season. All the plaudits were given to someone else. It is the captain who plays a major role in what is happening in the middle, not someone sitting in the dugout," Gavaskar told broadcaster Star Sports."See, this year he's getting fair credit. No one is giving all the credit to Ricky Ponting ," Gavaskar added.Iyer, the IPL 2024-winning captain for KKR, was acquired by PBKS in last year’s mega auction for a whopping ₹26.75 crore. So far, PBKS’ move to break the bank for Iyer has paid off – the right-handed batter has amassed 405 runs in 11 games at an average of 50.63, including four fifties.As captain, and with Ricky Ponting in the dugout as head coach, Iyer has been astute and proactive in his leadership.Iyer and Ponting had previously worked together at Delhi Capitals, where they managed to reach the playoffs in the 2019 season, before finishing as runners-up in 2020. Now reunited at PBKS, the Iyer-Ponting partnership has resurrected the side’s fortunes so brilliantly that they have entered the playoffs for the first time in more than a decade.
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