Throughout the years, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has been the site of many struggles for the biggest names in this sport, causing some of them to struggle with higher strike rates on particular venues, highlighting the difference in pitch conditions all over India.

Virat Kohli’s Struggles at Chepauk

Although he is one of the most dangerous run-scorers of the IPL till now, Bangalore Royal Challengers and Indian favorite Virat Kohli had a restrained run due to Chepauk. His career strike rate of 110.40 at this ground is the lowest among the majority of the people with at least 400 runs. The slowness and the turn of the ball offered by the track at Chepauk, which is basically a spin-friendly track, is the main reason for batsmen to struggle to make their shots. Consequently, they have to change the way they hit the ball. The other one is S. Badrinath, who has played many shots, but his strike rate of 116.80 is the lowest of all.

Also read:IPL 2025: latest points table after RCB vs CSK match

Eden Gardens – The Nightmares of the Greats

The Eden Gardens in Kolkata have been a slippery road to walk on for some of the biggest names who have ever arrived there. Some big names like Manoj Tiwary, Jacques Kallis, and Sourav Ganguly have encountered hurdles in reaching higher strike rates at the venue

Manoj Tiwary – 111.71
Jacques Kallis – 112.25
Sourav Ganguly – 119.01

Ajinkya Rahane, known for his classical style, has a strike rate of 114.95 at MCA, Pune.

Made public recently, it seems unlikely that these kinds of numbers will grow in the future. These numbers are clear enough to indicate the difficulty that the greatest of batsmen face when they have to adjust themselves to the venue in IPL. It happens because there are not just one but two main types of challenges. To start things off, some grounds in the IPL are offering support to the bowlers. It is essential to know how to adapt to the conditions if you want to be successful in the IPL.

Ranji Trophy, India's prominent domestic First-Class tournament, is widely regarded as the pathway to the Indian squad for all aspiring cricketers across the country. In every period, Indian cricket has been blessed with brilliant cricketers from all game sectors. However, as the saying goes, skill alone will not allow a cricketer to thrive in life. To succeed in international cricket, in addition to skill, one must have the appropriate temperament, luck, and support from team management and selectors. 

Recently, prominent players such as Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Ravindra Jadeja have been among those who have used the Ranji Trophy as a platform to fine-tune their game. This article focuses on five players who rose to popularity via their Ranji Trophy performances. Still, when given the opportunity to play on the international stage, they could not unleash their full potential, leading them to get neglected by the Indian squad. 

Recently, Gautam Gambhir has been at the center of a heated controversy after former cricketer Manoj Tiwary made strong remarks about his leadership and public image. In the wake of these comments, several players have come forward to show their support for Gambhir, with Nitish Rana being one of the first to defend him. Following this, Harshit Rana, another member of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) squad under Gambhir's coaching in IPL 2024, also stepped up to express his support.

Read Also: Manoj Tiwary Slams Gautam Gambhir: Calls Him a Hypocrite and Questions His Leadership

Harshit, who played under Gambhir’s coaching during last year's IPL and the recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25, took to social media to back the former cricketer. He shared his thoughts by uploading an Instagram story in which he addressed the criticism, emphasizing that criticizing someone due to personal insecurities was unfair and wrong. Harshit highlighted Gambhir's selfless leadership and the support he consistently provided to his players, especially during tough times, and always gave them the limelight when things were going well.

Harshit highlighted Gambhir’s selfless leadership, noting how he always focused on the players' well-being and their success on the field. Harshit added that Gambhir consistently supported his players, especially when they were going through tough times, and always gave them the limelight when things were going well. He further expressed that Gambhir had immense knowledge of how to turn games in favor of the team, demonstrating strategic brilliance as a coach.

Nitish Rana, another former KKR player, also expressed his support for Gambhir, defending him against the criticism. He took to Twitter, suggesting that Tiwary’s comments were rooted in personal insecurities and reaffirmed Gambhir’s qualities as a selfless and effective leader. Rana highlighted Gambhir’s consistent ability to motivate and support his players, reinforcing the idea that Gambhir’s leadership was both genuine and impactful.

Criticism should be based on facts not personal insecurities. Gauti bhaiyya is one of the most selfless players I’ve ever met. He shoulders responsibility in times of distress like no other. Performance doesn’t need any PR. The trophies speak for themselves.

— Nitish Rana (@NitishRana_27) January 9, 2025

The controversy began when Manoj Tiwary criticized Gambhir for allegedly taking all the credit for KKR’s 2012 IPL win. Tiwary suggested that Gambhir’s public image overshadowed the contributions of other key players, including himself, Jacques Kallis, and Sunil Narine. He also raised concerns about Gambhir’s leadership during his coaching tenure with the Indian team. Tiwary’s comments, which gained attention after being aired in a viral interview, sparked a wave of debate in the cricketing community.

Manoj Tiwary, a former Indian cricketer who played alongside Gautam Gambhir for both India and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), has openly criticized Gambhir's leadership and coaching methods. Tiwary expressed his concerns following India's recent performance under Gambhir's coaching, particularly the loss in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia.

Read Also: Gautam Gambhir Likely to Step Down as India Head Coach Due to Poor Team Performance and Player Concerns

Manoj Tiwary has openly criticized Gautam Gambhir, accusing him of using his public image to make it appear that he was the main reason for the team's victories. Tiwary believes that Gambhir's media presence overshadowed the contributions of other players.

He pointed out that during the 2012 IPL win with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Gambhir received all the credit, even though it was a team effort. Tiwary mentioned that players like Jacques Kallis, Sunil Narine, and himself also played significant roles in the victory. He feels that Gambhir's portrayal in the media made it seem like he was the only one responsible for the win.

Manoj Tiwari : There is an environment and PR that allows Gambhir to take all the credit 😭 pic.twitter.com/HxuKeOmypW

— Beast (@Beast__07_) January 9, 2025

Tiwary also criticized Gambhir’s performance as the coach of the Indian cricket team. Under Gambhir's leadership, India faced several tough losses, including the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia and ODI series defeats against Sri Lanka and New Zealand.

Tiwary feels that Gambhir's coaching style was not effective, and the appointments of assistant coaches like Abhishek Nayar and Morne Morkel did not help either. According to Tiwary, these coaches were not able to challenge Gambhir’s decisions, which ultimately hurt the team’s performance.

Read Also: 3 Big Changes India Needs to Make in Test Cricket to Avoid Agonizing Defeats

Tiwary didn’t stop there. He also raised concerns about Gambhir’s relationship with Rohit Sharma, the Indian captain. Tiwary pointed out that Rohit, who has led India to multiple victories, including the World Cup, might face challenges working with Gambhir, whose leadership success was mainly limited to the IPL.

Tiwary also noted that Gambhir seemed to favor players from Mumbai, such as Rohit and Abhishek Nayar, while overlooking players from other regions who performed well but were less vocal about their achievements. One example Tiwary mentioned was Jalaj Saxena, a talented player who, despite his strong performances, was ignored.