"Foreigners ko farak nahi padta" - When Wasim Akram opened up on Gautam Gambhir's decision to drop a big overseas player from an IPL final

Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir, who led Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to two IPL wins as captain, had his fair share of headaches as skipper of the franchise. Perhaps, none was bigger than his decision to drop star batter Brendon McCullum from the IPL 2012 final against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for tactical reasons.

After pacer Lakshmipathy Balaji was ruled out of the IPL 2012 final due to an injury, KKR brought in Australian fast bowler Brett Lee to replace him. To accommodate Lee, though, Kolkata had to leave McCullum out of the playing XI for the final at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

In a flashback video shared on Sportskeeda's Instagram handle, former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram, who was part of the KKR setup back then, revisited the tough decision. He admired McCullum for being a complete team man and praised Gambhir for being direct in approaching the Kiwi legend. Akram said:

"It's difficult, but somebody has to [take the initiative]. And it's better if it comes from the captain and not a manager or a coach. Gautam Gambhir, being Gautam, direct, simple, explained it to Brendon and Brendon was fine. Foreigners ko farak nahi padta (It doesn't matter to foreigners). Here [in the sub-continent], people remember that 10 years ago I was dropped. They don't care."

"It was explained to him and he said, 'it's fine captain. I am okay'. And he was helpful off the field. He did not sulk or make faces. Coming from the skipper's mouth, he understood that this is the need of the hour. That's why I loved Gautam's captaincy. He was direct. He was simple. He was straight and that's what captains need to do. They should themselves talk to the main players," the former Pakistan captain added.

Gambhir led KKR to victory in the IPL in 2012 and 2014. He was also the mentor of the Kolkata franchise when they won the title in 2024. The former India batter subsequently took over as India's head coach.

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Gambhir-led KKR beat CSK by 5 wickets in IPL 2012 final

Chennai Super Kings won the toss and elected to bat first in the IPL 2012 final at Chepauk. They posted 190-3 on the board in their 20 overs as Suresh Raina top-scored with 73 off 38 balls. Openers Michael Hussey (54 off 43) and Murali Vijay (42 off 32) added 87 in 10.2 overs.

In the chase, KKR got home by five wickets in 19.4 overs. Opener Manvinder Bisla hammered 89 off 48 balls, with the aid of eight fours and five sixes. Legendary all-rounder Jacques Kallis also chipped in with a crucial 69 off 49 balls.