Decision to play despite injury was mine: Gambhir

Kolkata Knight Rider skipper Gautam Gambhir has said his decision to play in the Indian Premier League eliminator match against the Mumbai Indians was his and that he felt he owed it to his side.

In an interview to NDTV, Gambhir said that he had undergone an MRI scan two days before the crucial tie but had asked team physio Andrew Leipus that he would discuss the report afterwards. " I wanted to play in the match and it was my decision. I did not want to let the team down for the crucial match. The injury itself was picked up during the World Cup final when I dove to avoid a run-out. The shoulder was fine but got aggravated in the match against the Mumbai Indians prior to the eliminator match," he said.

Gambhir also added that Leipus is a professional and had said that if Gambhir had already made up his mind to play, he did not want him to think of the injury during the course of the match. "I personally it was a right decision because I had already made up my mind. To play was my own decision and Andrew was constantly assessing me during the IPL."

Gambhir had been named skipper of the Indian side currently touring the West Indies but was replaced by Suresh Raina due to his injury. "I was thinking about the country when I decided to take four weeks of rehab instead of going for a surgery."