Gautam Gambhir: India's Latest Batting Sensation
Indian Cricket's New Star Established Himself in the last 2 Seasons
The small-statured Gautam Gambhir's prodigious talent was never in doubt ever since he earned selection in the National Cricket Academy, Bangalore's first intake in 2000. The left handed opener had already made his first class debut for Delhi the same season. In his first four Ranji Trophy seasons, Gambhir hit six centuries and had an average of 66.78. The little man's forceful shots especially on the offside have always been the scourge of the fielding side.
Gambhir's International Debut
In 2002, he made a double century against the touring Zimbabwe which really enhanced his chances for international selection. And indeed, the very next season he made his ODI debut followed by test selection the following year (2004). However it was not until 2007 that he was really able to establish himself in the Indian lineup.
Overcoming Technical Flaws
The reasons of his inability to perform consistently at the highest level were mainly his loose shots at deliveries outside the off stump and also a weakness when playing to leg side where he exhibited the tendency of falling over to the offside. Gambhir didn't get much taste of the international cricket in 2005 and 2006.
He apparently worked on his shortcomings during this time.
International Comeback
After India's disastrous show in the 2007 World Cup, he was once again in favour.
2007 Twenty 20 World Cup saw Gautum at his brilliant best. He was not only India's leading run getter in the tournament but also hit a splendid 75 in the final against the traditional rivals Pakistan. From then onwards there was no looking back.
The next stage was ODIs. In the triangular 2007-8 CB series in Australia he was the top run-scorer with 440 runs. He also reentered the test arena when his replacement Wasim Jaffar failed too often for the selectors liking. Gambhir was very much among the runs in Sri Lanka while his display against the world's no 1 ranked side Australia silenced all the critics. His two consecutive hundreds included a double century at his home ground Feroze Shah Kotla. Year's last test against England saw him barely missing the distinction of scoring centrury in each innings with scores of 179 and 97.
Summary of Gambhir's Achievements in All Forms of The Game
- Second highest run aggregate at the Twenty 20 World Cup
- World's top run scorer in ODIs this year
- A test average of almost 70 this year
- Led Delhi to Ranji Trophy success after 16 years with a century in the final
Hence it was no surprise when Gautam Gambhir was named in the World XI for the year 2008 by Peter Roebuck, the noted Australia based British cricket columnist and commentator.
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