Former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain and two-time IPL winner Gautam Gambhir expressed his sentiment that South African batsman AB de Villiers only played for personal milestones. He commented on the batting-friendly M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, which saw most of de Villiers’ games. Instead, Gambhir highlighted the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) Suresh Raina, who has four IPL titles. In a recent interview with Star Sports, Gambhir said:
“If AB de Villiers plays in a small ground like Chinnaswamy Stadium for 8-10 years, any player might have the same strike rate or ability. So Suresh Raina (with) 4 IPL titles, unfortunately, de Villiers only (has) personal records.”
The opinion around Gambhir’s statement was varied, with some fans supporting it and others inquiring about his stats at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. One person shared their thoughts: “I am not degrading Raina . I am angry at Gautam Gambhir because the tone of him saying anyone can score in Chinnaswamy and indirectly including Kohli also and in Chinnaswamy stadium Gambhir has a strike rate of 126.”
Among Gautam Gambhir, Suresh Raina, and AB de Villiers, who fared better in Bengaluru and Chennai?
Gautam Gambhir has been a force to be reckoned with at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, scoring 302 runs in 11 matches at an impressive strike rate of 126.36, including two half-centuries. While consistent with his performances, Suresh Raina has managed to tally up 167 runs in 12 games, maintaining an average of 16.7 with a single half-century. AB de Villiers, however, is the true star to have graced the stadium, having scored an astounding 1960 runs in 61 games at the incredible strike rate of 161.18, including a hundred and 15 half-centuries.
Gautam Gambhir has made many runs at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, with 187 runs scored in seven games at a respectable strike rate of 116.88, including three half-centuries. Meanwhile, de Villiers has been even more impressive, scoring 353 runs in eleven games at an incredible strike rate of 163.43, including three fifties. Raina, however, has outdone them all, smashing 1498 runs across 56 games with a strike rate of 135.44, including one century and eight half-centuries.
