Gautam Gambhir, India’s highest scorer in T20 Internationals with 932 runs from 37 games at a strike rate of 119.02. Virender Sehwag – 19 International T20s with 394 runs at a strike rate of 145.38.
Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag are in the news yet again! But this time around the duo has been ingnored from the 30-man proabables list for the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh, scheduled for March and April. Looks like that the Delhi guys have reached the crossroads of their cricketing career; Gambhir was influential in India winning their first T20 World Cup in South Africa and Sehwag is still among the best attackers of today. Yet, their journey seems to have reached a DEAD END!
Gambhir is the highest scorer for Indian in T20 Internationals with 932 runs from 37 games at a strike rate of 119.02. and Virender Sehwag with 19 International T20s with 394 runs at a strike rate of 145.38. Along with them, the Pathan brothers – Yusuf and Irfan Pathan were also ignored by the Indian selectors as the likes of Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh came into the 30-man list.
Now, where does this leave Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag? Unlike Gambhir, Sehwag is struggling a poor run with his bat in the domestic league. In the last 7 Ranji games, ‘Viru’ has only one fifty to his name (56) with only 234 runs. More worse news followed when his IPL team – Delhi Daredevils did not retain his services. Gautam Gambhir, though was full of praise of his Delhi team-mate. In a quote to The Times of India, he said,”He’s one of the greatest. This is a phase. Eventually it’s up to Sehwag as well. You have to keep working hard and he is doing that. His methods of preparation are his own, not for less gifted batsmen.”
The walls of Najafgarh empire have cracked up. They have become old and need replacement. Surely, the King, Virendra Sehwag, would be aware.
In the case of Gautam Gambhir, the southpaw would be glad to know that he is still in the reckoning of a comeback. Prior leaving to South Africa, Dhoni said that Gambhir was their 1st choice opener as far as Tests are concerned even though the former was not in the squad. ‘Gauti’ had an exceptional Ranji season with the bat for Delhi side – 578 runs with a century and 3 half-centuries to his name. Former India players vented their fury at Gambhir’s exclusion from the T20 proabables list. Even as the Delhi skipper missed the plane to New Zealand, everybody expected his name to feature in the 30-man squad. Alas, it does not.
