VVS Laxman pays a tribute to Gautam Gambhir on Twitter, gets a witty response
Former India batsman VVS Laxman on Thursday paid tribute to his former teammate Gautam Gambhir, saying that the opening batsman was totally obsessed with the game and was always up for any challenge that came his way across the 22-yards.
"Massively inquisitive and totally obsessed with the game, Gautam Gambhir never shied away from a challenge on a cricket field. Whether it was taking on express pace bowlers on spicy tracks overseas or standing up for a wronged teammate, he knew not what it was to back down," VVS Laxman said in his tweet.
VVS Laxman gets a witty response from Gautam Gambhir:
Gambhir was quick to notice the tweet and responded to it by thanking VVS Laxman for being a role model. But the Delhi batsman tried to pull VVS Laxman's leg by wondering why he often fielded at silly point when Gambhir manned the short-leg region.
“Tks Special, every moment spent with u was education. Our dressing room was full of role models but none bigger dan u. Another reason why u deserved a grand farewell. BTW am still curious to know why were u always perched at silly point while I was fighting for life @ shortleg!!!” Gambhir's tweet read.
In Tests, Gambhir was mostly seen fielding at short-leg, a fielding position which is deemed dangerous as the risk of the ball hitting the short-leg fielder is high. VVS Laxman, on the other hand, fielded at silly point. It was in this context that Gambhir wondered why VVS Laxman was assigned a relatively easier job to do.
Gambhir, during his peak, was one of the best batsmen India had. In 58 Tests, the 38-year-old scored 4,154 runs at an average of 41.95, a run tally that included nine centuries. In ODIs, the Delhi player scored 5,238 runs from 147 games at an average of 39.68 with 11 centuries.
The left-hander also played the shortest format of the game, but not for too long. Gambhir featured in 37 T20Is for India, scoring 932 runs at an average of 27.41. He shared the dressing room with VVS Laxman and other legends that included Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid.