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Nirvana on the pitch
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Gautam Gambhir is a combative cricketer. And very much his own man
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PHOTO: PTI
On song Star opener Gautam Gambhir
How time flies! It was almost 15 years ago, but seems like yesterday. One bright summer morning at the Capital’s Modern School ground, the host team was preparing to bat first against the Delhi Sports Journalists Association team.
Encounter with journalists
Uday Gupte, the coach of Modern School, wanted to give the journalists a glimpse of one of his talented wards. He chose a 12-year-old to open the innings. It did not take long for the scribes to realise what they were up against. With the ease and elegance usually associated with any left-handed batsman, this lad sent the ball scurrying in all directions. He raced away to his half-century and looked hungry for more. Before long, he reached a well deserved century.
That was Gautam Gambhir’s first encounter with the journalists. He was frail and diminutive but focussed and determined. Over the years, his focus and determination have only become more intense and some of those scribes now write about his exploits in international cricket.
As a school kid, he could be spotted at the ground, honing his cricket, or at the nearby Bengali Market that offered some mind-blowing snacks. He has always been a kind man at heart, moved by the plight of the poor and always keen to “help”, particularly strangers. But on the field he had steely resolve, unwavering and unsparing. “I like to play hard because it brings out the best out of me,” he stresses.
As former Test cricketer and Delhi selector Vivek Razdan remembers, “Gautam is fiercely committed. On the eve of the Ranji final against Uttar Pradesh last year, he hurt his palm badly. When I asked him whether he could play, he said, ‘Bhaiyya, we are going to win the final.’ And he went on to score a century (130 not out) in the second innings to see Delhi through.”
Gambhir may have taken four years to play one-dayers for the country and another season to make it to the Test team, but it is only since the 2007 Twenty20 World Cup that he has joined those select cricketers who are part of the national squad in all forms of the game.
Though many may have already forgotten his Test double century against Australia, Gambhir’s recent exploits in New Zealand have truly made him look the part of a formidable batting line-up. Known for his aggressive play, Gambhir turned a new leaf in his budding career by playing a knock contrary to expectations in the second Test at Napier. With India asked to follow-on, Gambhir displayed monumental patience by batting for 436 deliveries spread over 643 minutes for only 137 runs.
For once, Gambhir was not being hailed for the runs he scored. An entire nation was celebrating the discovery of a new Gambhir – patience personified yet precisely in sync with the purpose in mind.
“I had always looked forward to making runs in challenging conditions and the playing conditions in NZ were quite close to that. That I was in good form helped me immensely. I think I made some progress as a cricketer. Having said that, let us not forget that it was a collective gain more than individual ones. Each member had a contribution to make and I too had a role to play,” reflects Gambhir.
Gambhir, assertive and articulate, somehow has this image of being shy and an introvert. But he confesses to being very talkative when in the midst of his team-mates and asks, “You know what Sehwag tells me? Tu bahut bolta hai (you talk too much).”
Not a recluse
He speaks almost without a pause and is far from being a recluse. “A lot of people say a lot of things about me. I am shy, introvert, arrogant. I am aghast at how someone, who does not know me, can describe me in such a manner. I have my private life, my friends and my lighter moments. They are not for the public or the media. They are not meant to impress someone. I like to be what I am only with people who are close to me.”
At present, the going is great. Form, adulation and endorsement, everything seems to be coming together. Thanks to his upbringing, Gambhir has his feet firmly grounded.
He holds the promise of being the reason behind many more celebrations. Armed with precision, power and patience, Gambhir is ready for the next challenge.
RAKESH RAO
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