5 best Test knocks by Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir is undoubtedly one of India’s finest opening batsmen of all time, particularly in the Test arena. A run tally of over 4000 runs in the longest format at an average of 42.52 speaks volumes about his great contribution to Indian cricket over the years.

Gambhir last played a Test match back in August 2014 against England at the Oval and has since been off the selectors’ radar. However, an injury to KL Rahul during the ongoing series against New Zealand brought the Delhi cricketer in the frame once again as he was drafted in the Test squad as a replacement.

Throughout his career, the southpaw has played some fabulous knocks in the 5-day format. While some of them consolidated India’s position in the match, there were others which helped bail the team out of a crisis situation.

Here are 5 of the finest knocks by Gautam Gambhir in Test cricket:

#5 66 vs England at Chennai, 2009

Gautam Gambhir put together an iconic partnership with Virender Sehwag to give momentum to the Indian chase

India’s historic victory over England at Chennai in 2008 saw them chase down a huge target of 387 runs in a little over 3 sessions with 6 wickets intact. While Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, and Yuvraj Singh are credited as the heroes of this memorable win, we often tend to forget the equally important role played by Gautam Gambhir.

During their opening stand of 117, it was Gambhir’s steady presence at the other end which allowed Sehwag to take the English bowlers to the cleaners. Even when the latter was dismissed, the left-hander was unfazed and proceeded to score a well-compiled 66 off 139 balls before finally getting out in the 44^th over of the Indian innings.

Despite being highly under-rated, this knock is among the best that Gautam Gambhir has played in his Test career so far.

#4 64 vs South Africa at Cape Town, 2011

Gautam Gambhir was at his gritty best during this innings against the Proteas

One of the most special knocks from Gautam Gambhir is his match-saving 64 against South Africa at Cape Town during India’s 2010/11 tour to the country. What stood out about the innings was the fact that the Delhi batsman battled an already injured hand and a hit to the elbow while batting just to help the team secure a draw.

Chasing a target of 340 runs on Day 5 of the series decider, the Indians were pegged back early with Virender Sehwag falling cheaply. With the pursuit of victory not being a feasible option, Gambhir dropped anchor and batted through pain for more than 4 hours to score 64 off 184 deliveries.

By the time he got out, India had just about 20 overs to negotiate and they did it quite easily with Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman remaining unbeaten.

#3 167 vs New Zealand at Wellington, 2009

Gambhir was at his best when India toured New Zealand in 2009

Gautam Gambhir was at the peak of his powers between the years 2008 and 2009, a period during which he accumulated close to 2000 runs and boasted of a 50-plus Test average. One of the highlights of this purple patch in Gambhir’s career was his performance during India’s tour to New Zealand in early 2009.

In the final Test of a 3-match series against the hosts at Wellington, the Indians were calling the shots after picking up a first-innings lead of 182 runs. However, they needed a solid effort with the bat in the second essay, too, in order to apply more pressure on the hosts.

The southpaw from Delhi took responsibility and led from the front with an emphatic 167 off 257 balls as the visitors gave New Zealand a mammoth 617 to chase. India were on the verge of pulling off a memorable win but rain thwarted their plans and they had to settle for a draw.

Gambhir received the ‘Man of the Match’ award for his supreme effort with the bat.

#2 206 vs Australia at Delhi, 2008

Gautam Gambhir’s only double century came against Australia in 2008

The 2008 Border-Gavaskar Trophy was a special one for the Indian team for a number of reasons. One of them was the exemplary form displayed by opening batsman Gautam Gambhir and the manner in which he dominated the Australian bowlers throughout.

The left-hander scored 463 runs in 3 Tests at a phenomenal average of 77.16 with 2 centuries against his name. It was in this series that Gambhir scored the first and only double century of his career so far in the 3^rd Test at Delhi.

India were tottering at 27 for 2 at one stage but Gautam Gambhir held fort at the other end and forged a couple of big partnerships with Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman. When he was eventually dismissed for 206 off 380 deliveries, Team India were in a commanding position at 435 for 4.

The Test ended in a tame draw but Gambhir’s effort received a lot of praise from all quarters.

#1 137 vs New Zealand at Napier, 2009

The Kiwi bowling attack was rendered toothless by Gautam Gambhir during his defiant knock

Out of all the great knocks that Gautam Gambhir has played in his career, the match-saving century he scored against New Zealand at Napier in 2009 will always be the most unforgettable one. The most remarkable aspect of the innings was the amount of patience that the batsman displayed to help his team secure a draw.

Having been dismissed for 305 in response to the Blackcaps’ 1^st innings total of 619, India were asked to follow-on by the opposition skipper Daniel Vettori. Gambhir lost his opening partner Virender Sehwag pretty early but he put together two vital partnerships with Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar to put Team India on the road to safety.

Another stand of 96 with VVS Laxman ended when the southpaw was finally dismissed for 137 off 436 deliveries, a vigil which lasted an incredible 643 minutes. The match ended in a draw as the Indians did not lose any further wickets and Gautam Gambhir was lauded for his heroics.