"I have done some things I shouldn't have done" - Gautam Gambhir on importance of aggression as leader [SK Match ki Baat Exclusive]

Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir was a fierce captain and often attracted polarizing opinions because of his demeanor on the pitch be it while leading the Indian team or the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL.

However, Gambhir claimed that some of the heated altercations he had on the pitch and his aggression were just to fire up his players for the challenge. He wanted his team to play a certain way and felt he had to walk the talk.

Speaking to Sportskeeda exclusively on SK Match ki Baat, here's what Gautam Gambhir had to say about the perception around his aggressive captaincy style:

"Sometimes you need to have an aggressive approach as a leader if you want your team to be aggressive. Sometimes you need to do things you didn't want to. When I look back at my career, I have done some things I shouldn't have done. But I believed if I didn't get aggressive and didn't lead by example, my team won't play aggressively."

Gambhir also shed light on how the outside perception about being calm as a captain is completely subjective. He feels a leader is looked upon by the other players during crunch situations and that's when he should be brave and express himself.

---

A player should also be judged by how he is off the field: Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir believes that once the player crosses the boundary line and goes onto the field, they need to express the way they feel that can get the best out of themselves, without worrying about being judged. He also mentioned that a player’s attitude off the field is equally crucial.

On this, he opined:

"I feel every player and every leader has the right to express themselves on the field. A player should not be judged just by how he is on the field, but how he is off it should also be looked at."

Gautam Gambhir has had a couple of altercations with star player Virat Kohli on the field. However, of late, the duo have shared a good camaraderie and Gambhir has also been vocal about how some situations are better left on the field and not dragged on.