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Gambhir is the most important player for India: Sohail
KARACHI: Former Pakistan captain Aamer Sohail rates Gautam Gambhir as India's most important player maintaining that the reliable opener can give India the edge over other title contenders in World Cup 2011.
The former Test opener said Gambhir is the vital cog in India's star-studded batting line-up because of his ability to play long innings.
"The most important player for India is going to be Gautam Gambhir because he has the ability to anchor an innings and allow the other players to play freely," Sohail wrote in his column.
Sohail is expecting India to be at its best in the World Cup, stressing the fact that it will be Sachin Tendulkar's last World Cup and his teammates will go all out to give him a great farewell.
"Sachin Tendulkar will be playing in his last World Cup. Tendulkar can inspire the Indians. He is a great cricketer and a demi-god in his country.
"The Indian team is going to rally around him and will try its best to make it Tendulkar's World Cup in a bid to give the legend a befitting farewell," stressed Sohail.
Sohail warned the top teams to beware of Pakistan and West Indies. "Four teams - Australia, South Africa, Sri Lanka and India - seem to have the best chances of reaching the semifinals.
"But personally, I believe that Pakistan and West Indies can really be dangerous teams. They've got experience. They've got talent. They've got match-winners. The only point is how hungry are they?
"The West Indians should feel at home playing in the sub-continent because the playing conditions will be pretty similar to that in the Caribbean. If they play as a team, anything is possible.
"Same is the case with Pakistan. If they can gel together and the players manage to give their best, they can go all the way."
Expect Gambhir and Ryder to fire in today's warm-up tie
Aggressive southpaws Gautam Gambhir of India and New Zealand's Jesse Ryder are the hot ones to watch in today's warm-up at Chennai
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Gautam Gambhir |
Gautam Gambhir and Jesse Ryder have a lot in common. Both are aggressive left-handers, have Test double tons to their name, and will be appearing in their maiden World Cup soon.
There's one difference. While Gambhir had to wait four years from the day of his Test debut to establish his place, Ryder enjoyed instant success in both New Zealand's Test and one-day squads.
India and New Zealand will lock horns in the final World Cup warm-up tie here at the MA Chidambaram Stadium today. It will be the last opportunity to iron out whatever red marks both camps have.
"I am very excited (about playing my first World Cup). Obviously, I was disappointed to miss out the last time. Hopefully, I can deliver the goods for the country," an upbeat Gambhir told MiD DAY just minutes before rushing off with the rest of his teammates after a training session yesterday.
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| Jesse Ryder pics/getty images |
Ryder said he has had to go through a lot of hardship to make the World Cup squad. "I've had a lot of issues outside of cricket that needed to be resolved. I am in the best possible mental state to make a difference to New Zealand's cause in this World Cup. We have a very positive camp. We haven't enjoyed a lot of success in recent times, but are confident of a good show," he told MiD DAY.
India and New Zealand have met seven times in the World Cup, with the latter holding a 4-3 win advantage.
However, the Black Caps are undergoing their worst-ever run in ODIs, having won only two of their 18 games.
They have been whitewashed by both India and Bangladesh since the start of this year, and recently suffered another jolt as Daniel Vettori announced his decision to quit the top job after the World Cup.
The average first innings total at Chennai is 262, but unlike in Bangalore, dew is a factor here.
Meanwhile, skipper MS Dhoni said it was important for his side to pick up the intensity despite their 38-run win against Australia on Sunday. "We have to pick up a bit of intensity and this will be evident on the field against New Zealand," Dhoni told reporters yesterday, adding: "Sachin Tendulkar will be playing the game. It's the last stop before Dhaka."
Also, as was first reported by MiD DAY, Dhoni confirmed that Zaheer Khan will continue to sit out. "He only has a mild groin strain. Nothing to worry about. We will feature him in the opening game at Dhaka. His addition will be a big boost to the pace attack," said Dhoni.
Full name Gautam Gambhir
Born October 14, 1981, Delhi
Current age 29 years 131 days
Major
teams
India,
Delhi,
Delhi
Daredevils, India Red,Indian Board President's XI,
Rajasthan Cricket Association President's XI
Playing role Top-order batsman
Batting style Left-hand bat
Bowling style Legbreak
| Mat | Inns | NO | Runs | HS | Ave | BF | SR | 100 | 50 | 4s | 6s | Ct | St | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tests | 38 | 68 | 5 | 3234 | 206 | 51.33 | 6090 | 53.10 | 9 | 16 | 398 | 7 | 29 | 0 |
| ODIs | 106 | 102 | 10 | 3719 | 150* | 40.42 | 4292 | 86.64 | 9 | 21 | 414 | 16 | 32 | 0 |
| T20Is | 23 | 22 | 0 | 621 | 75 | 28.22 | 500 | 124.20 | 0 | 6 | 74 | 8 | 5 | 0 |
| First-class | 122 | 207 | 20 | 10239 | 233* | 54.75 | 32 | 45 | 78 | 0 | ||||
| List A | 208 | 202 | 16 | 7058 | 150* | 37.94 | 17 | 39 | 62 | 0 | ||||
| Twenty20 | 72 | 70 | 5 | 1844 | 86 | 28.36 | 1514 | 121.79 | 0 | 15 | 222 | 20 | 12 | 0 |
| Mat | Inns | Balls | Runs | Wkts | BBI | BBM | Ave | Econ | SR | 4w | 5w | 10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tests | 38 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| ODIs | 106 | 1 | 6 | 13 | 0 | - | - | - | 13.00 | - | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| T20Is | 23 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| First-class | 122 | 385 | 277 | 7 | 3/12 | 39.57 | 4.31 | 55.0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| List A | 208 | 37 | 36 | 1 | 1/7 | 1/7 | 36.00 | 5.83 | 37.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Twenty20 | 72 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Test debut | India v Australia at Mumbai, Nov 3-5, 2004 scorecard |
| Last Test | South Africa v India at Cape Town, Jan 2-6, 2011 scorecard |
| Test statistics | |
| ODI debut | Bangladesh v India at Dhaka, Apr 11, 2003 scorecard |
| Last ODI | Bangladesh v India at Dhaka, Feb 19, 2011 scorecard |
| ODI statistics | |
| T20I debut | India v Scotland at Durban, Sep 13, 2007 scorecard |
| Last T20I | India v Sri Lanka at Gros Islet, May 11, 2010 scorecard |
| T20I statistics | |
| First-class debut | 1999/00 |
| Last First-class | South Africa v India at Cape Town, Jan 2-6, 2011 scorecard |
| List A debut | 2000/01 |
| Last List A | Bangladesh v India at Dhaka, Feb 19, 2011 scorecard |
| Twenty20 debut | Delhi v Himachal Pradesh at Delhi, Apr 3, 2007 scorecard |
| Last Twenty20 | India v Sri Lanka at Gros Islet, May 11, 2010 scorecard |
Feisty and firm, capricious and correct, insatiable and insecure, Gautam Gambhir is one of the most complete batsmen of the current era. He is adept at opening in all three forms of the game. He can be more aggressive than Virender Sehwag, he can play the kind of back-to-the-wall innings that would do Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman proud, and he can accumulate without taking any risks, much like Sachin Tendulkar has been doing in the last quarter of his career.
He walks down the track to the fastest of bowlers, and an unfriendly word or three with the fielding side only help him concentrate harder, though it's not as if he needs external motivation to make the most of his time as a cricketer. He almost lost the fight to his own high standards and to the fickle selectors, which left him "not wanting to play anymore" when he was dropped for the 2007 World Cup, and insecure when he did make it back. For about eight first years of his career, he was the domestic cheque that would not be honoured at international level. While the bowlers on the Ranji circuit swore by this little left-hand batsman, he had just two international centuries to show after 13 Tests and 19 ODIs when he was left out of the World Cup party.
He came back with massive runs in domestic cricket, a few important technical adjustments, and with the reputation of being the best player of spin in India, outside the international side. A century in his second ODI back and a final-winning fifty in the inaugural World Twenty20 paved the way for his Test return. Test fifties against Murali and Mendis in the summer of Murali and Mendis in 2008 told him he belonged. In his next 13 Tests, he scored eight centuries: centuries to set up wins, centuries to bat opposition out, and centuries to hold on for draws, including the near 11-hour marathon in Napier. The Arjuna Award came his way, the ICC named him the Test player of 2009, but much more tellingly Sehwag called him the best Indian Test opener since Sunil Gavaskar. The only plausible flaw in Sehwag's claim is Sehwag himself.
Sidharth Monga
- 1999-2000
- January-February, 2002
- April 2003
- Sehwag named Delhi Daredevils captain (Feb 11, 2011)
- Teams spend big to overhaul their rosters (Jan 8, 2011)
- Gambhir defies pain to grind down South Africa (Jan 6, 2011)
- Gambhir to bat, but out of ODI series (Jan 5, 2011)
- The defiant bail and Paul Harris' multi-talented fingers (Jan 4, 2011)
Feb 19, 2011
Gautam Gambhir is bowled by Mahmudullah
Feb 19, 2011
Gautam Gambhir scored 39 at a run a ball
Feb 16, 2011
Gautam Gambhir made a quickfire half-century
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