In a heartbreaking decision for millions of Indian fans, Gautam Gambhir has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. One of the pioneers who played a crucial role in bringing raw aggression to cricket, Gautam is known to be an aggressive nationalist not only on the field but equally off the field.
To quote his farewell address, as posted in a long video addressed to his fans, ‘“The most difficult decisions are often taken with the heaviest of hearts. And with one heavy heart, I’ve decided to make an announcement that I’ve dreaded all my life. The next Ranji Trophy game against Andhra will be my last day in the sun. It is coming to an end where it all started at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground,” he further added.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLJDbggFDDA
While we all are saddened about his untimely retirement from the field of cricket, we can’t help but remember those priceless moments, when his aggressive knocks gave unexpected glory to Team India. From his valiant debut in 2005 to his heydays as the opening partner with the explosive batsman Virendra Sehwag, there are countless tales of his valor, of which following are those, where Gautam Gambhir became an overnight sensation with his heroics.
His knock against Sri Lanka at Ahmedabad, 2005 :
Although Gambhir made his international debut against Bangladesh in 2003, it was officially in 2005, in a bilateral series against Sri Lanka, that he made a mark of his own. As the rest of the Indian team was struggling against the Sri Lankan pace attack, crumbling without a tough fight, it was Gambhir who put up a fighting total of 285, with his debut century of 103 runs. Though India lost the match, it was Gambhir who took away all the accolades.
His knock against Sri Lanka at Eden Gardens, 2009 :
None can forget this valiant knock of 150 in the face of absolute danger. Sachin and Sehwag had departed rather too quickly, and India faced the mammoth task of bringing India back to the track while chasing a daunting target of 315. It was then that Gambhir and Virat Kohli, a novice then, came to the rescue. Even when Kohli got out after scoring his maiden ton, it was Gambhir who steered India to a perfect Christmas victory.
His knock against Pakistan at Johannesburg, 2007 :
This was the innings that catapulted Gambhir to skyrocketing fame. As other Indian batsmen struggled to keep their pace against a lethal Pakistani attack, it was Gautam Gambhir who put up a fighting total of 157 runs in the finals of T 20 World Cup against Pakistan. It was some of Dhoni’s brilliance and the heroics of Joginder Sharma that did the rest.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rASsqXh9jjw
His knock against Sri Lanka at Mumbai, 2011 :
However, the most memorable knock of Gautam Gambhir has to be the one where he steered India out of trouble and propelled them to a historic World Cup on home soil. At a time when a repeat of what happened in Johannesburg in 2003 looked on the cards, it was Gautam Gambhir who took the pains to pull Team India out of trouble. Though he got out on a freak delivery of Thisara Pereira, it was Gambhir who had put India in the commanding position. The rest, as they say, is history.
We salute Gautam Gambhir for his immense contribution to Indian cricket, and we hope that he finds success in the arena that he decides to explore post-retirement.