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An honour working with people like Shah Rukh, says Gambhir
Kolkata Knight Riders captain Gautam Gambhir says he enjoys the full backing of his owner, Shah Rukh Khan, who he claims doesn't interfere with the team's cricketing decisions.
"It has been an honour captaining the KKR; it has been honour working with people like Shah Rukh and Jay (Mehta). They have been very professional like they have been in their own field.
- It is easier captaining India than IPL teams: Ganguly
"They have left the cricketing decisions to me and all the decisions I have taken in the last three years have been my decisions. It has been easy for me from the owners' point of view," said Gambhir, in Mumbai on Monday, ahead of Tuesday's match against Mumbai Indians.'When I captained IPL teams, I had to answer the owner before and after the game'
Sourav Ganguly, who captained KKR in the first three seasons of the IPL, had said one of the challenges of captaining an IPL team is being answerable to the owners.
'When I captained India, nobody asked me anything and I didn't have to answer anybody after the day's play.
'But when I captained IPL teams, I had to answer the owner before the game and after the game, and I am telling you seriously that is enormous pressure,' Ganguly had said last year.
'As captain, you are answerable to the owners'
Gambhir, however, felt there is nothing wrong if the captain is made answerable for his team's performance.
"I know where Sourav is coming from; if he thought it was tough to captain the IPL side that is his take.
"From the cricketing point of view, obviously, it is tough to captain any IPL side because the pressure is on you because you are answerable to everyo#8800 you are answerable to the owners and if you can't do that then you should not be the captain," he said.
'KKR's owners have been very professional'
"I am honest with that; if the team doesn't do well then I am answerable to the owners, but, till now, they have been very professional and I am really, really lucky to have owners like them because there has been no involvement from them.
"I don't know about Sourav, to be honest," the left-hander added.
Kolkata Knight Riders face a must-win game when they take on Mumbai Indians. The defending champions are lying seventh in the table with just four wins from 11 games, while Mumbai are closer to a play-off berth with seven victories from the same number of games.