Decoding Gauti call
Dropped for the ongoing Test, veteran opener could find it difficult to make another comeback.
The Indian XI for the second Test went on expected lines but it still raised a few pertinent questions – Was it fair to drop Gautam Gambhir after only one poor score in four innings? Was he more sinned against than sinning? Was there a pressing need to fast-track Rahul’s restoration at the top of India’s batting in such a tearing hurry? And finally, is Gambhir’s career over?
The unofficial word about his immediate future is that he might continue to be part of the squad for the remaining Tests — the team for the remainder of the series will be announced at the end of the Vizag Test — but there are no answers to the questions over his international career coming to a dead end.
It is also well known that he has a history of cold vibes with Virat Kohli just like he had a frosty equation with MS Dhoni. When the equation with the captain is not at its best, there is a chance that the marginal calls could go against you although the team management has made it clear that Rahul was always India’s first choice opener along with Murali Vijay and there are established ‘protocols’ for the players coming from an injury break.
That Rahul got out for naught by playing away from the body so early in the innings here cannot be a minus point against him in this debate but the move, in the first place, to draft him as the squad’s 16th member is debatable.
Kiran More, however, does not see anything wrong. “He is the in-form opener, he was asked to play Ranji Trophy and he has proved his form and fitness. He is also young. So what is the problem,” the former selection committee chairman asked. What about Gambhir? “He has to wait for his chance and keep performing.”
As a batsman, Gambhir has had stop-start bursts to his career of 58 Tests, 147 ODIS and 37 T20IS. At one stage, he was an indispensable member of the Indian squads and in two consecutive seasons, he had six international centuries. The 97 in the 2011 World Cup final, of course, is the highest point of his career but like that game, which is more remembered for Dhoni’s heroics, Gambhir could go down as one of the unsung heroes of Indian cricket. Unless, of course, he resurrects his career if a third wind comes his way. Not easy though!
LEST WE FORGET GAMBHIR IS...
♦ the second quickest among Indians after Sunil Gavaskar to complete 2,000 Test runs. Gambhir took 24 Tests to race to get there. Gavaskar did so in 23 Tests
♦ the only Indian to have scored hundreds in five consecutive Tests
♦ the first Indian to aggregate more than 300 runs in four consecutive Test series — Rajneesh Gupta
The Indian XI for the second Test went on expected lines but it still raised a few pertinent questions – Was it fair to drop Gautam Gambhir after only one poor score in four innings? Was he more sinned against than sinning? Was there a pressing need to fast-track Rahul’s restoration at the top of India’s batting in such a tearing hurry? And finally, is Gambhir’s career over?
The unofficial word about his immediate future is that he might continue to be part of the squad for the remaining Tests — the team for the remainder of the series will be announced at the end of the Vizag Test — but there are no answers to the questions over his international career coming to a dead end.
An inquest into the Gambhir call leads to three vital points – his performance, his technique and his equation with the captain. It is a fact that he did not make the selectors’ job difficult. His open-chested stance — a little similar to Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s — caused a debate and his dismissals in Rajkot were analysed to be an off-shot of his changed technique.
It is also well known that he has a history of cold vibes with Virat Kohli just like he had a frosty equation with MS Dhoni. When the equation with the captain is not at its best, there is a chance that the marginal calls could go against you although the team management has made it clear that Rahul was always India’s first choice opener along with Murali Vijay and there are established ‘protocols’ for the players coming from an injury break.
That Rahul got out for naught by playing away from the body so early in the innings here cannot be a minus point against him in this debate but the move, in the first place, to draft him as the squad’s 16th member is debatable.
Kiran More, however, does not see anything wrong. “He is the in-form opener, he was asked to play Ranji Trophy and he has proved his form and fitness. He is also young. So what is the problem,” the former selection committee chairman asked. What about Gambhir? “He has to wait for his chance and keep performing.”
As a batsman, Gambhir has had stop-start bursts to his career of 58 Tests, 147 ODIS and 37 T20IS. At one stage, he was an indispensable member of the Indian squads and in two consecutive seasons, he had six international centuries. The 97 in the 2011 World Cup final, of course, is the highest point of his career but like that game, which is more remembered for Dhoni’s heroics, Gambhir could go down as one of the unsung heroes of Indian cricket. Unless, of course, he resurrects his career if a third wind comes his way. Not easy though!
LEST WE FORGET GAMBHIR IS...
♦ the second quickest among Indians after Sunil Gavaskar to complete 2,000 Test runs. Gambhir took 24 Tests to race to get there. Gavaskar did so in 23 Tests
♦ the only Indian to have scored hundreds in five consecutive Tests
♦ the first Indian to aggregate more than 300 runs in four consecutive Test series — Rajneesh Gupta
