New Delhi: Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Gautam Gambhir on Monday waded into the ongoing debate over Salman Khan being Indian contingent's Goodwill Ambassador for Rio Olympics,
During an event, the left-hander was asked about his opinion with regards to the latest controversy to have rocked Indian sports.
The discarded India opener was clear in his response, saying that he would have been more happier if Abhinav Bindra had been appointed instead of the Bollywood superstar.
“There is no shortage of real sportspersons in the country. People have done massive things in this country. I would have been happier had Abhinav Bindra or someone else being made the goodwill ambassador,” Gambhir was quoted as saying by the Indian Express.
“For me, personally, Bindra would have been the ideal choice as he is India’s lone individual gold medallist.”
Gambhir added that athletes did not need any publicity from Bollywood and that they did what they did because of passion for the game and love for the country.
“I heard someone saying sportsmen need publicity or sportsmen need Bollywood, but sportspersons do not need Bollywood or film industry for publicity, it is the other way round.
“Movies made on sportspersons do not give them any excitement. They do the job for their country because that’s their passion and they want to do something for the country," he said.
RCB skipper Virat Kohli however decided not to comment on the issue.
