3 instances that highlighted Gautam Gambhir as an uncredited cricketer
Gautam Gambhir has always been an elegant left hander. He had his share of success at the international level. He had scored 4046 runs at an average of 42.58 in Tests. In ODIs, he scored 5238 runs with an average of 39.68. The starts provided by Sehwag and Gambhir was one of the reasons behind India’s ascendancy to the No.1 Test spot. Gambhir is a guy who plays risk free cricket and doesn't throw away his wicket. He is a good captain too and is very aggressive on the field. He has also led his IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL title twice in the last four editions. His captaincy record in ODIs is phenomenal with a 100% record.
Though, Gambhir has made a name for himself, he is the most uncredited Indian cricketer in recent times. He deserves much more stardom than he actually possesses. Some of his wonderful efforts had been overlooked such as these:
2007 T20 world cup
India won the inaugural T20 world cup under Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Everyone praised Dhoni's captaincy and Yuvraj's six sixes against Stuart Broad. Not a lot of people remember that Gambhir was India's highest run getter in the series. The Delhi opener scored 227 runs with an average of 37.83 and a strike rate of 129. He scored 75(54) in the final against Pakistan which was a very important knock considering the other big names failed to make an impact.
2007-08 CB series, Australia
The 2007-08 CB series has been a good memory for two reasons. First, Sachin played two brilliant knocks(117 and 91) in the tri-series finals (after performing moderately in the initial stages) and guided India to a famous one day international series win in Australia. Second, it was Dhoni's first overseas series as India’s ODI skipper. But people forget the man who single handedly guided India to the finals, the one who was the topscorer in the series with 440 runs with an average of 55, it was none other than Gautam Gambhir.
He made an immediate impact in his first ever series on Australian soil after being overlooked for the Test series.
2011 World cup final
Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat first and posted 274-6, thanks to Mahela Jayawardene's classy 103*(88). India lost Sehwag and Tendulkar early in the chase. Gambhir anchored the innings and added important partnerships with Kohli and Dhoni. When he departed India were in a position to win the game easily. He scored a well crafted 97(122). After Gambhir's departure, Dhoni finished the game with some mighty blows. The skipper was adjudged Man of the match, but the real hero of the final was Gautam Gambhir.
His knock that night didn’t get the credit that it deserved. Things might have been different had he added three more runs to his tally.
The southpaw has still a lot to offer for Indian cricket. The experience, Gambhir can bring in the young Indian team is unmatched. A good performance in the domestic circuit this year should definitely help him in making a comeback.