Shortly after the Indian team was announced for the New Zealand tour, ex-cricketers and pundits thought that Delhi opener Gautam Gambhir would be in the side but for ‘some other reasons’, he still does not make the cut.
Shortly after the Indian team was announced for the New Zealand tour, ex-cricketers and pundits thought that Delhi opener Gautam Gambhir would be in the side but for ‘some other reasons’, he still does not make the cut. The Delhi southpaw is in form of his life in the domestic circuit.
The 31-year-old scored 578 runs in the Ranji Trophy this season with a top score of 153 at the Roshanara on a green top against Haryana just before the Test squad to South Africa was announced. Even though MS Dhoni still considers him the ‘1st option opener’, Gambhir has yet to win over the selectors.
With what could be a grueling year for the young turks of Team India, Gambhir’s unavailability ponders question marks over the selectors. Gambhir though has not lost hope. Speaking to the press he said, “I have never played cricket for selfish reasons like scoring 800-900 runs on flat tracks to make a comeback. It’s upto an individual and I am not one of those guys who would back out from competition. Delhi team needed outright wins and I insisted on playing on green top at the Roshanara rather than on a flat track. Had I played on a flat track, I could have got close to 900 runs. I have never ever played cricket that way with such selfish motives.”
Shikhar Dhawan had a miserable tour to South Africa and if his poor form persists in New Zealand, an experienced and in-form Gautam Gambhir is on stand by to deputise.
