David Gower recalls watching IPL 2019 match at Eden Gardens, reveals KKR's promise to him

David Gower was one of the finest batsmen and captains ever to be produced by England. Excellence, grace and a distinct touch of an Englishman flowed from his bat as he became one of the most prolific run-scorers for England. The southpaw amassed over 8000 runs for his country in Test cricket in a highly successful Test career. Post-retirement, David Gower took up commentary and is one of the most loved broadcasters across the world.

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David Gower recalls watching IPL match between KKR and KXIP in 2019

Recently, David Gower was in a conversation with Q20, which is an initiative for fans to get up close with sporting icons through interactive sessions. During the conversation, he recalled watching an IPL match at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata and also spoke about the promise made to him by the KKR franchise. David Gower said that he was in Kolkata last year and was invited to the match between KKR and Kings XI Punjab. He added that he was delivering a speech, which was followed by a dinner. Thereafter, he was escorted straight to the Eden Gardens for the match.

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David Gower further said that it was at the fag end of the match when he reached the stadium and was led straight to the KKR owners' den and he was introduced to one of the co-owners. He added that he had a formal introduction with him and that is when he realised that the KKR owner is an ardent fan of the game and a very passionate owner. David Gower was nevertheless bowled over by the KKR owner's commitment to follow the game.

Speaking about him, David Gower said he just got the impression that his prime motive was there to watch the game. He added that despite his reputation across the globe for being a big name, he wasn’t really at that stage too fussed about sitting down and having a long conversation but it was very nice to be introduced to him and added that is what strikes him about people like him.

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David Gower further said that the match was easily won by KKR when he got to the stadium and despite that, the KKR owner was still very much focused on the game. He reckoned that Eden Gardens is one of the greatest stadiums, obviously because of its reputation and size, the number of people it can accommodate. So just to be there was special, to meet the KKR owner made it even more special.

David Bower also said that if Kolkata Knight Riders had made the playoffs, the franchise had promised him to fly him back in time to come and watch their matches. Sadly, that wasn’t to be, but he said he is available. He added that the next time, Kolkata get to the play-offs of the IPL, he would love to be there.

KKR is co-owned by Bollywood actor Juhi Chawla, her husband Jay Mehta and Red Chillies Entertainment, having won the IPL twice, i.e. in 2012 and 2014 respectively.

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IMAGE COURTESY: TWITTER