Gautam Gambhir led KKR to their maiden IPL title in 2012.
Gambhir and McCullum have shared dressing room with each other while playing for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Recalling an incident, Gambhir said he apologized to McCullum in front of the entire KKR team just ahead of the IPL 2012 final against Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
The former KKR skipper further revealed that he was put in a tight spot with pacer Lakshmipathy Balaji getting ruled out of the summit clash due to an injury. As a result, Gambhir decided to leave out McCullum from the playing XI and include former Australia speedster Brett Lee in his place.
"Before leaving for that final at Chepauk, I actually said sorry to Brendon McCullum in front of the entire team. I said 'I am really really sorry I had to drop you. The reason is not your performance, the reason is our combination.' No one wanted to do that. But I had the courage to apologize to him in front of the whole team. Nothing wrong in apologizing," Gambhir said in a video posted on his Instagram account.
"Had I not apologized in front of the entire team, somewhere deep inside my heart, I would have had that guilt that I have not communicated well enough. Leadership is not only about taking appreciation or shutting yourself off or taking credit. It's about doing this stuff as well. Sometimes it's awkward but that's how you grow as a leader," he added.
As it turned out, KKR defeated CSK by five wickets to clinch the IPL 2012 title. Two years later, Gambhir led the Knight Riders to their second IPL trophy.
Ahead of the IPL 2024 season, Gautam Gambhir has joined KKR as a mentor. It will be interesting to see if he can produce similar results for the franchise as a mentor as he did in the role of a captain.