'Gautam Gambhir didn't know what it was to back down,' says VVS Laxman

Former Indian cricket team batsman VVS Laxman took to Twitter to shower praise on former teammate Gautam Gambhir.

The Hyderabad-born batsman said that Gambhir was someone who did not know what it was to back down.

“Massively inquisitive and totally obsessed with the game, @GautamGambhir never shied away from a challenge on a cricket field. Whether it was taking on express pace bowlers on spicy tracks overseas or standing up for a wronged teammate, he knew not what it was to back down,” VVS Laxman tweeted.

Gautam Gambhir was a player for the big finals, and his scores in the T20 World Cup final and 2011 WC final are testimonies to the fact.

Gambhir never shied away from taking on the opposition. From Shahid Afridi to Shane Watson, the southpaw had frequent run-ins with the opposition, as he wore his heart on his sleeve.

Massively inquisitive and totally obsessed with the game, @GautamGambhir never shied away from a challenge on a cricket field. Whether it was taking on express pace bowlers on spicy tracks overseas or standing up for a wronged teammate, he knew not what it was to back down. pic.twitter.com/RlZlGbucp1

— VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281) June 11, 2020

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VVS Laxman's Twitter thread

With the COVID-19 induced time away from cricket still in place, Laxman has chosen to use Twitter to pay tributes to former teammates that had a major influence on his career.

Laxman has covered India greats like Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid, Javagal Srinath, and Virender Sehwag in the fantastic thread.

Earlier, VVS Laxman had called Gautam Gambhir’s opening partner Virender Sehwag as one of the most destructive openers in Test history.

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Gautam Gambhir and his heroics

On his day, Gautam Gambhir was as destructive as any batsman in the world, and was a man who gave it all on the cricket field.

Gambhir holds the record for batting for the most minutes after following-on in a Test match. He achieved this feat when he batted for 643 minutes against New Zealand at Napier to save the Test, en route his 137 that came off 436 balls.

Interestingly, Gambhir was joined by VVS Laxman in the middle, and they both ensured that India went home with a draw after looking down and out in the match.

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