NEW DELHI: On the eve of Kolkata Knight Riders‘ crucial Indian Premier League match against Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, pacer Harshit Rana admitted on Monday that the defending champions deeply miss the presence of former mentor Gautam Gambhir in their dugout.
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Rana, who had a breakout IPL 2024 season under Gambhir’s guidance — taking 19 wickets in KKR’s title-winning run — revealed how much the ‘Guru’ meant to his development. Thanks to Gambhir’s mentorship, Harshit has since made his India debut across all three formats and emerged as one of the country’s brightest young pace prospects.
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Asked if KKR missed Gambhir, Harshit said diplomatically: “I won’t say that because the composition of our support staff is basically the same (from last year). (Abhishek) Nayar Bhai has also come back. Chandu Sir, (Dwayne) Bravo are all good. But yes, there is this thrill factor which I miss a little. I am not talking about anyone else.”
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Rana then added: “You also know that Gambhir has an aura, the way he comes and takes the team along. I was just talking about that.”
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Abhishek Nayar, who returned to KKR’s coaching group after a stint with the Indian team, is seen by Rana as a major positive. “There will be a lot of changes now that he (Nayar) has come back. He is a very smart mind and reads situations very well,” Rana said.
With just seven points so far this season, KKR are struggling at seventh in the table, and Rana’s candid comments reflect a side trying to rediscover the magic touch that once propelled them to glory.
