Gautam Gambhir reveals 'only batter who scared him' and it's not Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers, MS Dhoni or Virat Kohli

Ahead of the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2024), former Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) captain Gautam Gambhir candidly spoke about the one batter who gave him sleepless nights and instilled fear in him as a leader. Gambhir revealed that former Mumbai Indians captain and explosive batter, Rohit Sharma was the only batter that scared him and forced the ex-KKR skipper to work on different plans to prevent 'Hitman' from exploding.

"The only player who's given me sleepless nights. Not Chris Gayle, not AB de Villiers, only Rohit Sharma has given me sleepless nights in the IPL. With Rohit, I knew that I had to have Plan A, Plan B, and probably Plan C as well because if Rohit is in, I don't think anyone can control him," Gambhir said in a Star Sports video.  

"The only batsman I have feared in IPL is Rohit Sharma. I have never planned for any other batter except for Rohit Sharma. There have been times when I've seen the visuals, where I said fair enough, plan A is fine. But with Rohit Sharma, probably one night before, I used to think if this doesn't work, I have to get this. If this doesn't work, I have to get the other plan. If Sunil bowls his four overs, who is going to bowl the next 16? And if I finish off Sunil early and if Rohit is there, he can hit 30 off one over as well. Rohit is the only batter I was scared of as an IPL captain," Gambhir added.

Rohit Sharma's run in IPL

While Rohit Sharma hasn't been at his sublime best with the bat in IPL over the last few years, his prowess with the willow cannot be undermined. With the range of shots, sheer audacity and a fearless attitude, Rohit has tormented the best of bowling attacks both in the cash-rich tournament and international cricket.

In his glittering IPL career, Rohit has led Mumbai Indians (MI) to five titles as the captain of the franchise. With the bat, Rohit has scored 6,211 runs in 243 matches at a strike rate of 130.05 and an average of 29.58. His run-scoring in IPL has been embellished with 42 half-centuries and one tone. 

MORE ON SPORTS TAK: 

IPL 2024: Sunil Gavaskar makes blunt statement on Mumbai Indians' captaincy transition from Rohit Sharma to Hardik Pandya, says ‘it is only going to...’

WATCH: Hardik Pandya resumes batting practice ahead of IPL 2024, goes full throttle, tonks big sixes during practice session