One of the most aggressive openers to have graced the Indian side, Gautam Gambhir remains unmatched when it comes to feistiness and the hunger to score runs. The southpaw was a mainstay of the Indian opening order and smashed several match-winning knocks.
Gambhir, who is a Member of the Parliament now, had the honour of being part of two World Cup winning squads – the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 ICC World Cup.
The left-handed batter also made his mark in the Indian Premier League, where he led the Kolkata Knight Riders to lift the title in 2012 and 2014. As the swashbuckling opener turns 41 today, here are some of his best knocks for the country:
75 vs Pakistan (2007)
The 2007 T20 World Cup was full of its share of memorable moments. One of them was Gambhir’s fiery knock against arch-rivals Pakistan in the final. While wickets kept falling at the other end, Gautam Gambhir stood firm and managed to hold his own against bowlers like Shahid Afridi and Umar Gul. The southpaw slammed 8 fours and 2 sixes in his 54-ball knock to guide India to 157. India won by 5 runs to lift the trophy.
206 vs Australia (2008)
Playing at his home ground in Delhi for the third India- Australia Test, Gambhir was in fine form. The left-handed batter scored 206 off 380 deliveries to deliver his career-best Test knock. Along with VVS Laxman, who also made a double hundred, Gambhir took the Indian side to a massive total of 613/7. The game ended in a draw.
150* vs Sri Lanka (2009)
Kolkata’s Eden Gardens has seen its share of match-winning knocks, but few can rival Gambhir’s unbeaten 150-run knock against Sri Lanka. India had to chase down 316 runs and the side were struggling after both Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar departed early. In stepped Gambhir, who managed to stabilise the team. He put up a 224-run partnership with Virat Kohli and guided India to an easy 7-wicket win.
167 vs New Zealand (2009)
In the third Test against the Black Caps, Gambhir helped the Indian side extend its 182-run lead over the hosts. In the second innings of the contest, he managed to score 167 off 257 deliveries before he was dismissed by Iain O’Brien. While New Zealand had a massive 617-run target in front of them, rain and Ross Taylor’s century ended India’s hopes of a quick victory and the game ended in a draw.
97 vs Sri Lanka (2011)
Gambhir shone under pressure and nowhere was this more evident than the 2011 World Cup final. India were stumbling while chasing down 274 after Tendulkar and Sehwag went to the pavilion early. After Kohli was also dismissed, fans lost all hope of India’s victory. Gautam Gambhir and skipper MS Dhoni created a 109-run partnership that brought the hosts back into the game. Though he missed out on a century by a whisker, Gambhir’s knock was instrumental in leading India to its second World Cup.
Happy birthday Gautam Gambhir!
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