Under-fire Gambhir steps down as Delhi Daredevils captain

Gautam Gambhir today stepped down as IPl laggards Delhi Daredevils captain, saying he just could not handle the pressure of the job.

Shreyas Iyer replaced him in the position but Gambhir will continue to be a part of the team that has lost five of its six matches so far and is placed bottom of the table at the eighth position.

"Maybe I was too desparate to turn things around and that can backfire. It could be the reason. I just couldn't handle the pressure and when you don't do that, you have to own that up as a leader," Gambhir said in a press conference also attended by franchise CEO Hemant Dua and coach Ricky Ponting.

"I was sitting alone and thinking, I couldn't handle the pressure... I was not good enough and that is all," he added.

The 23-year-old Iyer is a top-order batsman and has scored two back-to-back half centuries in losing causes.