Gautam Gambhir, the KKR skipper, has said that he should be fit in time for Kolkata's opening game against Delhi Daredevils at the Eden Gardens on April 3. Gambhir, who was dropped for the Test series against Australia, recently suffered a bout of jaundice, has resumed training in order to get into the groove quickly.
In an interview to the Hindustan Times newspaper, Gambhir stated that he did not push himself immediately and he started out slowly as he was still suffering from fatigue. He stated that he will be ready for the opening game against Delhi. "After the end of that match, we have a decent break and that should give me time to recuperate."
Gambhir was instrumental in helping Kolkata win the IPL trophy for the first time last year. He was the second highest run-scorer for the team as he led by example. He reiterated that he did not have any regrets on been left out of the Indian team that had whitewashed Australia 4-0. He added that his biggest motivation is playing for India but it is not the only thing in his life. "As a sportsperson, my main aim is to keep on performing. It felt great to be back in the Delhi team after a long time. We won the Vijay Hazare trophy after a gap of 17-18 years and that was a great feeling. I want to score runs to help my team win and I ensure that I do not complicate things. I want to keep my life and cricket simple and that can only be achieved by scoring runs.
KKR Coach Trevor Bayliss, meanwhile, believes that the lack of match practice heading into the IPL will not be a deterrent for Gambhir. Bayliss stated that players like Gambhir and Jacques Kallis would prove their mettle once the tournament starts on account of their experience. In an interview to the Telegraph, Bayliss went onto say, "We have a squad that boasts of highly effective players in the middle order who can handle their responsibilities. There is added pressure upon us due to our achievements in the 2012 edition and we will have to work hard to defend the trophy this time." He added that it was a wonderful feeling to start the tournament as champions and they will look to carry forward the momentum through the competition.
The squad has slowly started to assemble for training. England batsman Eoin Morgan, Lakshmipathy Balaji and Iqbal Abdullah joined the team in Kolkata on Thursday.
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