The fourth of December, 2018, was an emotional day for Indian cricket as the two-time world cup champion announced his retirement from the game. While he did not have hundreds of fans like Sachin and Kohli, he was still one of the most important players during India's golden era.
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Gambhir’s game had a lot of obvious flaws when he emerged as a young, energetic batsman. The Delhi boy nevertheless made most of the strong, uppish slashes over the off-side, and back-foot nudges.
He had an average of 41.95 and 4154 runs in 58 Test matches and 5238 runs in 147 matches at an average of 39.08. While his batting numbers may not be comparable to Indian greats, the timing of his performances most certainly is.
His batting had initially been scrutinized. The two primary areas where Gambhir fell short were his tendency to hold his bat outside off stump and an excessive number of attempts to play on the leg side. These two areas were his weaknesses and could be easily exploited in Test cricket. Gambhir overcame those obstacles with pure willpower and perseverance. He was able to overcome most of his weaknesses by rectifying his prior errors and thereby justifying his selection for the team.
Despite all of Gambhir’s success in the limited-overs game, his best international performance was perhaps a 632-minute marathon to rescue a Test at Napier in 2009, which many believed was out of his reach. Gambhir kept his ground and valiantly stood between New Zealand and victory as he faced an innings defeat that would have undone the good work of the first Test. He scored a splendid 137 of 436 balls, which saved the test match.
Gambhir continued to score heavily in the series' final test. His score of 167 in the second innings of the final Test ensured that India won a Test series in New Zealand for the first time in the last 41 years. In 2007, In the final of the T20 World Cup, India won the toss and they opted to bat first, they lost 2 wickets for just 40 runs. Gambhir was the one who kept on scoring on regular boundaries to keep the scoreboard ticking. As wickets kept falling on the other side, Gambhir kept scoring.
With the cameo of Rohit Sharma, India scored 157 runs for 5 wickets. Gambhir's match-winning knock of 75 runs in 54 balls helped India to a competitive score. His knock helped India defeat Pakistan in a nail-biting final, and India was crowned World T20 Champions.
But, as is often the case with Gambhir, his most significant achievement was underappreciated. He was the highest run-scorer in the 2008 Commonwealth Bank Tri-Series between India, Australia, and Sri Lanka with 440 runs and eventually won the tournament. He was the Test Player of the Year in 2009. He was the highest scorer for India in the Asia Cup 2010, scoring 203 runs from 4 matches with an average of 50.73, which also led India to the tournament's title. He is the only Indian to score five consecutive test centuries.
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In the 2011 World Cup Final against Sri Lanka, India was chasing a heavy target of 275 in 50 overs. India lost their openers cheaply; it was up to Kohli and Gambhir; they stitched a valuable partnership, and then Kohli got out. On the other hand, Gambhir kept scoring boundaries to keep the scoreboard ticking. He scored a match-winning knock of 97 runs, which took India close to victory. Apart from his innings, Captain Dhoni finished the game with a six and scored 91 off 79 balls. His most significant innings were once again overshadowed, this time by Dhoni. People still believe that it was only Dhoni, who helped India win the World Cup after 28 years. But it should be noted that both innings were equally important in the triumph. It is a team game, and through the joint efforts and performances of all the players, the game is won.
Both of the players played excellently, but the captain’s knock was considered more important here, but in reality, if Gambhir hadn’t played the knock and built partnerships, India would not have won the match.
He had a great record as a captain he captained India for 6 ODIs and they won 6 out of 6. He was a great team player and was supportive of young players. For example, back in 2009, Gambhir gave his man of the match award to Virat Kohli who scored his 1st ODI Century against Sri Lanka. He wanted to make him feel special; such a gesture shows how selfless he was for the team and the encouragement of youngsters.
In the 2012 IPL, he was the captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders. His team had been struggling for three years, and he captained a mixed team of youth and experience. He scored 590 runs and had six half-centuries. He captained this team to glory and the first title of the franchise. He scored three consecutive half-centuries in the next IPL. He leads them to victory again the following year, scoring 335 runs. He was always a team man and selfless; he once sacrificed his opening spot for his fellow teammate Sunil Narine, which also led the franchise to score the highest Powerplay runs, which were 105 in 6 overs. That was a move that was considered selfless, as he was scoring consistently in that season but still chose to give the all-rounder a try; that was a very smart move. He was very protective of his players and backed players like Kuldeep Yadav, Rishabh Pant, and Surya Kumar Yadav, who are superstars on the current Indian team.
He was one of the players who sacrificed himself for the betterment of the team. Gambhir might not be the player who makes us feel chills as we enter the stadium, but what would be missed is his captaincy and as a player when he comes out in the middle with a poker face, keeps his opponents guessing, and plans a win for his team.
But one thing is for sure: he has given India and his fans timeless and countless memories, and he has given his all with passion and to the best of his abilities.
Article by:- Shashank Subramani
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