Gambhir shuns Delhi skipper responsibility

Delhi batsman Gautam Gambhir, on Monday asked the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) authorities to not consider him for the captaincy role and in his stead should give the responsibility to some youngster.

The 37-year-old Southpaw further mentioned that he will assume a supporting role and will help the newly-appointed captain.

Gambhir while revealing his decision, tweeted, "Time to pass the captaincy baton to youngsters, hence have requested the DDCA selectors not to consider me for that role. I will be in the background helping the new leader to win games."

DDCA president Rajat Sharma also expressed his happiness over Gambhir taking a back seat and prepping the new skipper for Delhi.

In his reply, DDCA president Rajat Sharma tweeted, "We would have loved to have @GautamGambhir leading the Delhi team. At the same time, I'm happy that Gautam has decided to take a back seat and will train the new captain."

Gambhir was reinstated as captain at the start of the domestic season. He led Delhi to the Vijay Hazare finals and scored close to 500 runs in the national one-dayers. Without the presence of Shikhar Dhawan or Rishabh Pant, Gambhir's experience will certainly be of the essence.

Gambhir had a lean patch in form during the Indian Premier League (IPL) and his return to Delhi Daredevils' fold ended in a nightmare. The senior opener stepped down from captaincy and also didn't take part after the first six games.

Delhi will open their Ranji Trophy campaign against Himachal Pradesh on November 12 at Feroz Shah Kotla.