Current Aus tour make-or-break case for Gambhir
Zeenews logo
        English        
Follwo us on: Facebook Follwo us on: Twiter RSS Mail to us
Thursday, May 31, 2012 
Jobs | Sitemap
Search
Follwo us on: Facebook Follwo us on: Twiter RSS Mail to us Mail to us Mail to us

Current Aus tour make-or-break case for Gambhir

Last Updated: Friday, December 30, 2011, 10:41
  Comments 0  
Current Aus tour make-or-break case for GambhirMelbourne: Usually dependable, Gautam Gambhir is now bringing deep creases into the forehead of his skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni with his consistent failures of the past two years, and the current tour could be a make-or-break one for the opening batsman.

It`s a law of diminishing returns for the left-hander who struck his last century 17 Test ago and averages 32.75 and 31.33 in the last two years. That the solitary century was against lowly Bangladesh does not help his cause either.

A fearless cricketer, usually adept at both front and backfoot, against pace and spin, Gambhir first stamped his presence in the Indian set-up with a one-day century – at Gabba in Brisbane -- on these very shores four years ago.

He virtually took wings thereafter, striking three centuries and 1134 runs from eight Tests in 2008. He did even better in 2009 when he slammed four centuries from five Tests and averaged 90.88 from the year.

So impressive was the little lad from Delhi that his partner and senior Virender Sehwag was moved enough to term him the best opener of India since Sunil Gavaskar hung his boots in 1987.

"Gambhir is the only opener I have known who is at ease in any form of the game. Gavaskar was a great opener in Tests and one-dayers and Gambhir has adapted wonderfully to the Twenty20 format too. He is just too good," Sehwag had said.

"Just see how he kept adapting. I can`t think of anyone better than Gambhir in terms of technique, temperament and style. To me, he is the best opener India has had since Gavaskar," said Sehwag.

Rewards were swift to come as Gambhir shot up on the scales of being next captain and was the highest paid cricketer, worth Rs 11 crores, in this year`s IPL.

Gambhir`s dip in form was pushed into the background because he still was able to play a few innings of extreme significance -- like the 93 and 64 he made at Newlands early this year.

His 97 in the World Cup finals made him the darling of Indian fans and his consistent failures somehow did not quite register in the eyes of the same fans or media.


However, with India consistently losing its foothold on foreign soil and Gambhir coming a cropper, the current tour could be a make-or-break one for the likeable young man.

Gambhir averaged 17.00 from the three Tests he played in England -- albeit there was a head injury which impeded his cause -- and his three and 13 at the MCG now has not helped his cause. That he could average only 39.00 at home against the West Indies in between is a cause for worry.

As of now, Gambhir is a sure starter for second Test starting in Sydney on January 3 and Dhoni`s public posturing is in support of the left-handed opener.

"He`s someone who is batting really well in the nets. He just needs to take that extra step and do the same thing into the middle. Once you play 30-40 deliveries as an opener, everything is sorted out," Dhoni said.

A sensitive man, Gambhir`s failures appear to have affected him as a person. Never a very outgoing person in public, Gambhir appears to have withdrawn further into his shell and now has a slinking presence at nets or in the field.

India needs Gambhir -- and Sehwag -- to strike in Sydney. That famous middle order usually need that start to come on to their own. There are not many instances, especially abroad, when the famous Delhi pair of openers have collectively failed and the middle order has been able to repair the damage.

In a way success of the opening duo is inter-linked and so is the success of team putting runs in excess of 300 runs which is absolutely critical if India is to recover lost ground in the ongoing series.

PTI

First Published: Friday, December 30, 2011, 10:41


Comments

Pages:    

Post your Comments

Name
Place :
Email :
Comments :
 

Most liked Comments



Latest Most ReadFixtures
FIXTURE
West Indies tour of England
Test England v West Indies at Edgbaston, Birmingham - 06/07/2012
ODI England v West Indies at The Rose Bowl, Southampton - 06/16/2012
ODI England v West Indies at Kennington Oval, London - 06/19/2012
ODI England v West Indies at Headingley, Leeds - 06/22/2012
IPL 2012
Blogs
Shahrukh and Mamata - IPL circusShahrukh and Mamata - IPL circusIf you needed any proof of the cringe making vulgarity that is the IPL look... Read More
Five things about IPL which won't be missed!Five things about IPL which won't be missed!There are quite a few things about IPL and things that come along with it w... Read More
Rank Country Points
1 Australia 123
2 South Africa 118
3 India 117
4 England 111
5 Sri Lanka 110
6 Pakistan 105
7 New Zealand 86
8 West Indies 86
9 Bangladesh 67
10 Zimbabwe 46
Rank Country Points
1 England 116
2 South Africa 116
3 Australia 112
4 India 111
5 Pakistan 108
6 Sri Lanka 99
7 West Indies 85
8 New Zealand 85
9 Bangladesh 8
Rank Country Points
1 England 129
2 South Africa 122
3 Sri Lanka 117
4 New Zealand 114
5 Pakistan 107
6 Australia 107
7 India 103
8 Ireland 95
9 West Indies 93
10 Afghanistan 83
Rank Name & Nationality Points
1 Novak Djokovic (SRB) 11800
2 Rafael Nadal (ESP) 10060
3 Roger Federer (SUI) 9790
4 Andy Murray (GBR) 7500
5 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) 4965
6 David Ferrer (ESP) 4640
7 Tomas Berdych (CZE) 4500
8 Janko Tipsarevic (SRB) 3010
9 Juan Martin Del Potro 2910
10 Mardy Fish (USA) 2625
Rank Name & Nationality Points
1 Victoria Azaranka (BLR) 9020
2 Maria Sharapova (RUS) 8390
3 Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) 7080
4 Petra Kvitova (CZE) 6275
5 Serena Williams (USA) 5695
6 Samantha Stosur (AUS) 5440
7 Na Li (CHN) 4965
8 Marion Bartoli 4870
9 Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) 4586
10 Angelique Kerber (GERq) 3560
Rank Driver &Country Points
1Mark Webber-Australian73
2 Sebastian Vettel-German73
3Lewis Hamilton-British63
4Nico Rosberg-German59
5Kimi Räikkönen-Finnish51
6Jenson Button-British45
7Fernando Alonso-Spanish43
8Romain Grosjean-French35
9Pastor Maldonado-Venezuelan29
10Sergio Perez-Mexican22
Rank Country Points
1Red Bull Racing146
2McLaren108
3Lotus86
4Ferrari86
5Mercedes61
6Williams44
7Sauber41
8Force India28
9Toro Rosso6
10Caterham0
Rank Country Points
1 Rory McIlroy, Nir 9.53
2 Luke Donald, Eng 9.36
3 Lee Westwood, Eng 8.13
4 Bubba Watson, USA 6.45
5 Matt Kuchar, USA 6.08
6 Hunter Mahan, USA 5.53
7 Tiger Woods, USA 5.22
8 Steve Stricker, USA 5.17
9 Phil Mickelson, USA 5.11
10 Justin Rose, Eng 5.09
Rank Country Points
1 Spain 1442
2 Germany 1345
3 Uruguay 1309
4 Netherlands 1207
5 Portugal 1190
6 Brazil 1165
7 England 1132
8 Croatia 1114
9 Argentina 1076
10 Denmark 1069
Contact Us : Privacy Policy : Legal Disclaimer
Copyright © Zee News Limited. All rights reserved