When in need, I'll be the first one standing next to him: Gautam Gambhir denies rift with MS Dhoni

Former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir recently cleared the air over reports of a rift between him and World Cup-winning captain MS Dhoni and said that he has a lot of mutual respect for the veteran wicketkeeper-batsman.

Former KKR captain Gambhir had at times criticised MS Dhoni for poor leadership skills as well as for batting lower down the order for CSK with their team chasing a huge total in IPL.

Speaking on the YouTube show Over and Out, anchored by cricket host Jatin Sapru, Gambhir said: "See I have so much of mutual respect for him and it'll always remain. I've said it on air, I'll say it on your channel, I can say it anywhere in front of 138 crore people, that if ever in need, I hope he's never in need, but if ever in need in life, I'll be the first one standing next to him because of what he's done for Indian cricket, what he's as a human being."

Gambhir further said that he was second-in-command for majority of Dhoni's reign as captain of the Indian team. "I've actually been the vice-captain the longest time when he was the captain. We've been rivals on the field when we played for our respective teams. But I've got so much mutual respect for him, for the kind of person, the kind of cricketer he is," he added.