Gautam Gambhir loves playing at the Kotla: Shakib

NEW DELHI: If someone said Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Gautam Gambhir would be their second highest run-scorer when IPL 7 came back to India, that person would have been scoffed at. With just a solitary run in his bag after his first four games this year, Gambhir's run was nothing short of a nightmare.
In the next four games, Gambhir has scored 174 runs, with two fifties on the trot, to get Kolkata's campaign back on track.Homecoming couldn't have been sweeter for new dad Gambhir who scored a match-winning 69 in front of his 'home crowd' at the Kotla.
Teammate Shakib Al Hasan attributed Gambhir's return to form to sheer 'hard work'. "Gauti is someone who's always in the nets first and is the last one to leave. The hard work he has put in over the last few weeks is bearing fruit," Shakib said after the team's eight-wicket win over Delhi Daredevils.
Gambhir has been the leading run-getter for the Knight Riders over the last two years, scoring 590 runs in 2012 and 406 in 2013.
"Gambhir has been terrific for Kolkata Knight Riders over the last two years. He just goes out there and keeps on scoring runs. It's good to see him back in form," the Bangladesh all-rounder added.
KKR are yet to play a game at their home, Eden Gardens, this season but Shakib said the team is delighted that Gambhir performed at his 'first home'.
"Gambhir just loves playing at this ground, having grown up here. It's good that he scored runs here but I think Kolkata will be good for him too," he said.
On the team bouncing back from a heart-breaking loss to Rajasthan Royals, Shakib said, "It was a tough loss. We knew we only needed to improve by one or two percent to get us a win."