Lucknow Super Giants mentor Gautam Gambhir discusses what he wants from players representing the franchise

The new IPL franchise from Lucknow has put speculations to an end with the official unveiling of the name – Lucknow Super Giants. They have also roped in former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir as their mentor for IPL 2022.

Gautam Gambhir has plenty of experience in the Indian Premier League. He was the captain of Kolkata Knight Riders for several years and led them to two IPL title in 2012 and 2014. Gambhir was also an integral part of India’s 2007 World T20 and the 2011 World Cup wins.

Speaking to journalist Boria Majumdar on ‘Backstage with Boria,’ the newly appointed mentor highlighted on what he wants from players representing the franchise. Gambhir feels that youngsters should focus on performing for the team first instead of playing for the Indian national team.

“When I’ve captained, I have always said I don’t want players thinking of playing for India. I want players thinking of playing for the franchise. Playing for India is just the by-product,” Gambhir said.

“If you think of playing for India and you start saying that Lucknow gives me that platform to play for India, then you are being dishonest to the franchise. But if you were to play for Lucknow and deliver it for Lucknow, eventually you will end up playing for India,” he further added.

Gautam Gambhir further elucidated upon his point by mentioning that the primary goal for the youngsters over the two months of the Indian Premier League should be to showcase their skills in front of a global audience.

When they start viewing the IPL as a means of playing for India, it comes with additional pressure and unrealistic expectations. He thinks that players will eventually end up playing for the national team if they remain true to themselves and their performances for their franchises are impressive enough.

“So probably in those two months, I would not want any of the players saying or thinking that my job or my ultimate aim is to play for India. Their ultimate aim for those two months is to win the tournament for the franchise. And if they look to do that with their performances, they will eventually go on to play for India.”

“And IPL is not a platform to go on to play for India. IPL is a platform to showcase your talent to the world, and that is how players should think about it,” Gambhir added.