Don’t know why Gambhir said I don’t deserve a place in KXIP, states Sheldon Cottrell
Sheldon Cottrell, on learning about Gautam Gambhir’s ‘desperate’ hiring comment, has said that he has no idea why the former India cricketer said so. Kings XI Punjab bought Cottrell for a whopping Rs 8.5 crore ahead of IPL 2020 and Gambhir opined that it was a rather ‘desperate hire’.
The IPL 2020 auctions were held on December 19 last year and Kings XI Punjab were in a bidding war for with KKR and RCB for Australian pacer Pat Cummins. But as KKR roped Cummins in for 15.5 crore, KXIP put their heart and soul into hiring Windies pacer Sheldon Cottrell who has made a name for him in international cricket.
However, former India cricketer Gambhir thought it was a rather ‘desperate’ hire by the Punjab side. “I think Anil Kumble picked him up in desperation since they couldn’t get Chris Morris or Pat Cummins. If the demand is high and supply is low, these things happen,” Gambhir was quoted as saying.
Cottrell, who was unaware of Gambhir’s comments, recently responded to this and said that his work speaks for itself and that he can be a good addition to any team in the Indian Premier League.
“Did he really say that? I wasn’t aware of the comment by Gambhir. I think my work speaks for itself. I don’t know why he made that comment. I am a very lucky man to be a part of KXIP. I am sure I can be a great addition to any IPL team,” said Cottrell during an Instagram Live with CricTracker.
Cottrell, who made his Test debut for West Indies in 2013, missed a lot of international cricket due to injuries and his pace had also taken a hit. However, since his comeback, the left-arm pacer made a place for himself in the Windies white-ball cricket setup.