Monday, November 22, 2004

Are You "Gambhir" ??

Gautam Gambhir's last name translates to "serious". After his innings yesterday I wonder if indeed he is a serious option for the second opener's slot for India in Test Match Cricket in the long run.

Admittedly, he was patchy to start off with; but unlike his predecessor Akash Chopra he has so many shots in the book and a natural aggression that could compensate for the lack of stolidness and patience Chopra possessed. After all, if you can outscore Virender Sehwag, no matter what the pitch, you have got to have some ability.

I hope Gambhir does develop into a long-term opening prospect and not flatter to deceive like those before him. We tried blockers like Chopra, Bangar, Das, Dasgupta and Gandhi as well as flashers like Ramesh and Jaffer. Many of these showed promise, but none really delivered. But, we could unearth a Sehwag to fill in 1 spot ... what are the odds on Gambhir filling the other ??

1 comment:

Sandeep Shelke said...

Well, he looks like a good prospect..better batsman than many...but does he have the right temperament for an opener...that still needs to be tested...don't forget that he failed against the aussies...let him prove his mettle against the biggies...until then, I would still consider chopra as a better opener..though he's terribly out of form.