'He Should Thank RCB': Gambhir Criticises Virat Kohli's Captaincy in IPL and Fans are Divided
Photo Credit: KKR Website.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) is in its 12th edition, with the first match only four days away, and Padma Shri recipient and former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir believes that Virat Kohli should thank Royal Challengers Bangalore for sticking with him despite the poor results the franchise has shown in the star-studded tournament.

Gambhir, who recently appeared on Star Sports' analysis show Game Plan said that one shouldn't compare Kohli's captaincy to Rohit Sharma's (Mumbai Indians) or Mahendra Singh Dhoni's (Chennai Super Kings) as they have won three titles each so far, while RCB hasn't won a single tournament under Kohli's leadership since 2011.

"I don’t see him (Kohli) as a shoot captain or a tactful captain. And he hasn’t won the IPL. So ultimately a captain is only as good as his record till the time you don’t win the IPL," Gambhir said on the show.

Further explaining why he shouldn't be compared to the likes of Dhoni and Sharma, the former Kolkata Knight Riders' captain said, "He has been part of RCB and captaining RCB for the last seven to eight years and he has been very lucky and should rather thank the franchise that they stuck to him because not many captains have got such a long run where they haven’t won a tournament."

Kohli, on the other hand, told ANI on Saturday that RCB's poor run in the series was due to wrong decisions made in big games.

Meanwhile, Royal Challengers Bangalore has won 48.38% matches under Kohli, who is also the second-highest scorer in IPL, behind CSK's Suresh Raina. RCB is yet to win a tournament despite making three appearances in the IPL finals.

The opening match of IPL 12 will be played on Saturday (March 23) at M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai between Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore.