'Gambhir fought for players and backed them': Unmukt Chand reveals how DDCA politics ended his career

Unmukt Chand reveals how Gambhir used to fight for players during his tenure as captain of Delhi. (Photo: X)

Former India U-19 skipper Unmukt Chand has lauded Gautam Gambhir’s captaincy during his days with the Delhi cricket team, while also alleging that internal politics in the association played a major role in derailing his career in Indian cricket.

Currently 32 and playing in the United States, Chand revealed that several cricketers faced setbacks in their careers once Gambhir retired from Delhi cricket.

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“Until 2017, when Gautam Gambhir remained Delhi captain, nothing went wrong in the team because he was a very strong leader. He fought for players and backed them. But when he retired, Delhi cricket went through plenty of upheaval. Nitish (Rana) was dropped, Dhruv (Shorey) was doing well, and he was dropped too. And everyone knows what’s happening,” Chand told Lallantop.

Chand recalled how he was sidelined by the Delhi selectors seven years into his First-Class career, a move that he feels drastically altered his path as a cricketer. After leaving Delhi in 2019 to represent Uttarakhand, he eventually stepped away from Indian domestic cricket in 2021 before shifting base to the United States.

“You can call it politics because they threw me out. It has never happened that you remove the captain of India A from your state team. I can’t put the blame on one person, but in a way, the selectors of DDCA are the ones taking such decisions. I felt bad that I served the Delhi team for such a long time and did reasonably well too, and then they made me the scapegoat,” he added.

Chand rose to fame in 2012 when he led India to the Under-19 World Cup title with a match-winning century in the final against Australia. Despite his early promise, he never earned a call-up to the senior Indian side. In contrast, Gambhir—who briefly forayed into politics after retiring—took to coaching in 2023. The former opener guided Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL 2024 trophy and has since replaced Rahul Dravid as India’s head coach, steering the team to a Champions Trophy triumph earlier this year.