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'Gautam Gambhir, What A Competitor!' - Phil Salt Lauds His Ex-KKR Mentor At CEAT Cricket Awards 

Phil Salt on Gautam Gambhir (x)Phil Salt on Gautam Gambhir (x)

Philip Salt, England's dynamic opener, has attributed and credited Gautam Gambhir, the former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) mentor and current India coach for his success in the Indian Premier League (IPL). 

Salt played a key role in KKR's victorious IPL campaign earlier this year, where he opened the batting and delivered consistently in challenging subcontinental conditions.

Phil Salt Credits Ex-KKR Mentor For IPL Success

In the recent, CEAT Cricketing Rating Awards, Phil Salt praised Gambhir's influence on his development as a player and also highlighted how their relationship began on a strong note. 

He also noted that Gambhir possesses a unique ability to read situations and people, knowing when to offer support and when to push players to their limits. 

"Gautam is a man who reads a room incredibly well. He knows when to put an arm around you and when to push you harder. That's a trait all great coaches have. I have a great relationship with him and still exchange texts with him. He's always watching cricket and staying in touch—a great man."

Philip Salt also further emphasised that Gambhir's guidance was rooted in clear communication and a strategic approach tailored to the conditions in India. 

The most valuable piece of advice from Gambhir was to focus on taking the game deep, particularly in the challenging subcontinental environment. He instructed that he wanted Salt to concentrate on scoring heavily between overs 10 and 20.

What a competitor. I could really relate to him from that point of view. He's always looking for the one per cent that's going to get the individual to be better and what's going to get the team over the line. So I loved working for him. One word would be a competitor,” he added.

"From the moment I got off the first training session, he sat me down and said, 'I know you're going to score runs for us, but I want you to score the majority of your runs between overs ten and 20.' Even if it starts slow, he wanted me to hang in there, ensure I'm there from overs ten onwards, and capitalize on the big overs because I can score quickly. That was the best coaching I received."

Salt's destructive batting approach, particularly during the middle and death overs, made him a reliable asset for KKR. Throughout 12 matches, he amassed 435 runs at an impressive average of 39.55 and a strike rate of 182.01.