New Delhi, April 14 Ahead of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) taking on Punjab Kings (PBKS) in IPL 2025, seam-bowling all-rounder Ramandeep Singh lauded the impact of Dwayne Bravo’s mentorship, adding that he has been trying to bring champion’s mindset in every member of the team.
Bravo arrived in the KKR set-up as the side’s new mentor after Gautam Gambhir left post the 2024 IPL title win to join the Indian team as their head coach. “An individual like him (Gambhir), in any dressing room, you'll always miss him, obviously.”
“But I think DJ (Bravo) has (brought) a very strong champion mindset in the team. His logo is that he's a champion, and seriously, he's a champion. He's trying to bring that mindset in every individual,” said Ramandeep in the pre-match press conference on Monday.
Shreyas Iyer had captained KKR to IPL 2024 title win, but is now the PBKS skipper. KKR are now led by Ajinkya Rahane and Ramandeep noted that there isn’t much to separate between the two in terms of leadership skills.
“To be honest, both of them are very good captains. I don't think there's anything lacking in either of them. But I think Ajinkya Rahane brings a lot of calmness in the dugout. He's the type of player that every youngster should idolise.”
“His personality, the way he keeps himself around the game, everyone knows how he performs. Meanwhile, Shreyas has a very confident nature, executes his plans. I don't think there's anything lacking in either of them. But their game of play is different,” he added.
Asked about his role in the KKR set-up, Ramandeep explained, “I've been given a few roles in this team. The situation that the team demands, I try to play according to that situation. Obviously, you learn a lot from every match. I'm also trying to gain as much experience as possible, so that I can make myself a match winner.”
“What works for me is that I try to be fearless. When I think that the first ball is in my hitting area, I try to go for it. I also demand that the situation comes in my own way. Like after the 15th over, whatever the team's plan is. I practice according to that situation as well.”
After playing a stellar hand in IPL 2024 title win for KKR, Ramandeep made his T20I debut for India on tour of South Africa last year, something which he admitted wasn’t on his mind. “Individually, if I talk about a year from now, I never seriously thought that I'd debut in India after the IPL.”
“I learned from that journey that one should keep doing their job, and not think about the results. My wish is that whenever I come to practice, I'll give my 100% and give it my all. The rest is in God's hands. He'll make it happen.
He signed off by crediting Punjab’s state T20 league for helping the players put their best foot forward on a big stage like IPL. “I think the Sher-e-Punjab tournament has helped the cricketers a lot. We've played in Sher-e-Punjab, and we've already played in the IPL atmosphere.”
“We have an advantage from that. You can see from the players that they're confident when they go on the crease. They don't have any outside pressure. They've already done this. The credit goes to the Punjab team,” he concluded.
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