IPL 2016: Sunil Gavaskar feels Gautam Gambhir can still make a national comeback
Iconic Indian batsman Sunil Gavaskar has gone on record stating that discarded opener Gautam Gambhir could still earn a spot into the Indian team. NDTV Sports reported the cricketer turned commentator speaking about Gambhir’s recent batting efforts and his impressive work ethic.
The pugnacious left-hander last played for India in the Oval Test against England in 2014. However, Gavaskar was of the opinion that his performances in the IPL could open up a spot for him in the shorter formats of the sport.
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Gambhir’s recent scores read 34, 90*, 64, 38* and he has forged a formidable partnership at the top of the order with Robin Uthappa for the Kolkata Knight Riders. Being a captain, his stability with the bat has drawn praise from the great man himself.
Gavaskar reasoned, “Why not? The way he has batted in this competition, led from the front and paced his innings alongside different aspects of batsmanship certainly puts him in line for a recall into the Indian team. It’s good to see him bat well.”
Praising the 34-year old’s determination to grind it out, the veteran asserted, “He had gone through a bit of a slump. I think there was a footwork problem. Now, you can see his feet are moving well which means that he has worked very hard and the results are showing.”
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He added, “I think if you have once played for India, you never give up hopes for playing for India again. What's the point of playing in Ranji Trophy and IPL if the ambition of playing for India is not there?”
A part of the reason behind Gavaskar’s views could be Shikhar Dhawan struggling to score runs in the IPL as well. After a disastrous run in the group matches of the World T20, Dhawan was dropped in the semi-final against the West Indies for Ajinkya Rahane.
His inconsistency is also not helping the Sun Risers Hyderabad either. But, Gavaskar threw his weight behind the under-fire Dhawan by pointing out that people tend to forget his good days too.
The 66-year old affirmed, “He is constantly under pressure to perform. The problem is when Dhawan fails, he fails in 4-5 matches and people forget the runs that he has scored. He has 9 centuries and around 17 scores of over 50 in limited overs cricket.”
The batting maestro felt that lethargic footwork is the reason behind the Delhi dasher’s woes. Gavaskar advised, “He has been successful in every three and half innings which is very acceptable. But when he fails, he fails in 4-5 innings.
“What I saw in the IPL, I found his feet are moving a bit slow. I would suggest he does a fair bit of skipping and it would certainly help.”