'Bengal Will Be Divided...2nd Time': Gautam Gambhir Recalls Playing Against Sourav Ganguly At Eden Gardens

Gautam Gambhir, a World Cup winner, reflected on his 2011 arrival at KKR and his transformation from a Delhi cricketer to a beloved figure in Kolkata. He described a crucial match at Eden Gardens against Pune Warriors, highlighting the divided loyalties in the stadium, with KKR in purple and Pune in light blue.

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"A lot of people told me there will be a lot of backlashes because you are replacing someone like Sourav Ganguly. I still remember my first day in Kolkata the amount of love I received was unimaginable. Never thought that I would receive that kind of love because a lot of things were spoken about when Sourav was replaced. But not even once in my seven years of captaincy I was not made to feel that I did not belong to Kolkata and that's my relationship with the people," Gambhir told Ashwin on his YouTube channel.

Gautam Gambhir's deep connection with Kolkata

He shared a touching story from the pre-match build-up amidst media attention and high expectations. "I have said it not because I was captaining them I have said it from my heart that Kolkata is my home and that's the emotion I carry because I remember this one game. We were playing against Pune Warriors and where I think the entire stadium was divided into Purple and Blue and Sourav was leading Pune Warriors. There was this huge article on the match day where it was written in an article that Bengal would be divided for the second time after partition. It was the headline of the front page in Telegraph," he added.

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A moment of support for Gautam Gambhir

Gambhir recalled a moment when a hotel employee approached him before the game with words of support. "I remember walking out of the hotel we were staying in the same hotel and there was this guy at the gate he said that when you walk today when you go for the toss just remember the entire Bengal will be only cheering for you because KKR belongs to Kolkata and you will not walk alone today and I carried that thought with me to the toss and not even once in my seven years of captaincy I have never walked alone."

Also Read: Netizens Respond With Humor As BCCI Approaches Gautam Gambhir To Become Team India's Head Coach

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Notably, It was recently reported that Gautam Gambhir has been contacted by the BCCI as a potential candidate to replace Rahul Dravid as the head coach of the Indian cricket team after the T20 World Cup 2024.

Also Read: IPL 2024: Gautam Gambhir Warms Hearts By Granting Fangirl's Wish With Touching Instagram Post

Other candidates in contention include VVS Laxman, who has been leading the National Cricket Academy and has previously stepped in for Dravid, Stephen Fleming, the long-time coach of Chennai Super Kings, and Harbhajan Singh, who has been vocal about his interest in contributing to Indian cricket post-retirement.

(With Inputs from ANI)

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