Venkatesh Iyer says Gautam Gambhir set the standard in KKR dressing room during IPL 2024
Venkatesh Iyer told a podcast with Aakash Chopra that Gautam Gambhir established clear standards in the Kolkata Knight Riders dressing room during their title-winning IPL 2024 campaign. Iyer said Gambhir created an environment where every member of the squad was expected to be ready to contribute.
Iyer described a dressing-room scene in which multiple batters were already padded up even before the innings had properly settled, listing the players by name. "Sunil Narine and Phil Salt are opening, Angkrish Raghuvanshi is padded up, Shreyas Iyer is padded up, Nitish Rana is padded up, I'm padded up, Rinku Singh is padded up, Ramandeep Singh is padded up, Andre Russell is padded up from the second over," Iyer recalled. He characterised the sight as a group of "lions ready to go" and said that attitude reflected the standards Gambhir expected.
Iyer recounted conversations with Gambhir in the gym that went beyond individual performances and focused on team improvement. "He would tell me that you are a senior player in the team. You have to think about how the team can improve. You have to be brave enough to give your feedback, tell us what you feel and point out what can be done better," Iyer recalled. He said those discussions helped foster an environment in which players felt able to express their views and take ownership.
Iyer also described how Gambhir managed changes in individual roles during the season, citing his own experience after a big score. After scoring a half-century against Royal Challengers Bengaluru he was sent down to No. 8 in the following match and faced only the final ball. Gambhir, Iyer said, spoke to him about the bigger picture and stressed that a player's value could not be judged solely by the number of deliveries faced or their position in the order.
Gambhir emphasised that players contributed in different ways, Iyer recalled, using several examples to make the point. Iyer said he could decide a match with a substantial score, Narine could do the same with a quick 90, and Ramandeep Singh could have an impact with a short but effective innings. The consistent message was that roles would shift according to circumstances while every player remained important to the team's plans.
Iyer said that collective readiness and interchangeable contributions were evident throughout KKR's 2024 campaign, with performances coming from across the batting order and players stepping up when required. That approach coincided with KKR winning their third IPL title, defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad in the final.
For Iyer, Gambhir's influence extended beyond tactics or selection to ensuring players understood their responsibilities, stayed ready for different roles and felt their contributions mattered. The dressing-room atmosphere he described, he said, was founded on that shared expectation.
