Gautam Gambhir Forces Dramatic U-Turn As 'KKR Quota' Fires, Memes Flood Internet

Criticised time and again for backing his former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) mates Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy and even Shreyas Iyer for national selection, Gautam Gambhir made the entire cricket fanbase on social media take a U-turn. Gambhir was reportedly the mind behind Varun Chakravarthy's inclusion in India's ODI squad for the ICC Champions Trophy despite the fact that the mystery spinner hadn't made his debut in the 50-over format until the England series right before the marquee event. Yet, Varun shone with the ball in the match against New Zealand on Sunday, proving why Gambhir was right to back him.

With the bat, it was Shreyas Iyer who stabilised India's sinking ship after the team lost the trio of Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli early. Mocked repeatedly on social media for using 'KKR quota' in international selection, Gambhir saw fans' sentiments drastically change as fans lauded him on the internet for the said bold selection calls.

Iyer was India's top-scoring batter in the Group B match against the Kiwis, scoring 79 runs off 98 balls while Varun bagged his maiden 5-wicket haul in ODIs. Courtesy of the duo's performance in Dubai, India managed to successfully defend the total of 249/9 against New Zealand and finish the group stage at the No. 1 spot.

There were fans who also apologised to Gambhir for doubting his decisions. Here are some of the 'KKR quota' memes that fans unleashed on social media after Varun and Iyer's sublime show:

If Varun Chakravarthy is KKR Quota then we need more KKR Quota players in Indian Team pic.twitter.com/hthVJ6iRCx

— INDIA (@KKRWeRule) March 2, 2025

Varun is so so good on these wickets I am sorry gambhir I wasn't aware of your game

— Ammar Khanani (@AmmarKhanani) March 2, 2025

Gambhir KKR Quota pic.twitter.com/gdQ7CrgEtL

— Rebellious Knight (@Rahul__74) March 2, 2025

Harshit Rana took 3 wickets on CT debut match
Varun CV took 5 wickets on CT debut match

"But saar kkr quota saar" pic.twitter.com/NLSP83SOYK

— Digvijay (@Chillguy_028) March 2, 2025

KKR Quota Varun Got Mom pic.twitter.com/uXAZmUeBp4

— Rebellious Knight (@Rahul__74) March 2, 2025

" Harshit Doesn't Deserve Chance Ahead Of Arshdeep"

" Why 4 Spinners , Just to fit in Varun Chakravarthy. "

" KKR Quota "

Gautam Gambhir Replies with : pic.twitter.com/dh439uI65M

— Kau5tubh30 (@Kaustubh001ac) March 2, 2025

Varun had come into India's T20 side on a similar note back in 2021 but the tournament didn't go as planned for the spinner. However, making his Champions Trophy debut against the Kiwis, the veteran spinner proved that he has left the ghosts of the past well behind him.

But, none of it would've been possible had head coach Gambhir not added him to India's Champions Trophy squad after Jasprit Bumrah was ruled out. Chakravarthy's addition meant that India flew 5 spinners to Dubai for the Champions Trophy, a decision that was criticised by many.

But, Gambhir has now proven, that he was right.

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team Kolkata Knight Riders New Zealand Cricket Team Gautam Gambhir Varun Chakaravarthy ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Cricket