5 of Gambhir's most significant contributions in India's cricket history

Gautam Gambhir turns 37 today. Over an international career that began more than 15 years ago, Gambhir has proved time and again that he is just the match winner India needed at the top of their batting order.

He marked his birthday today with a match-winning century to lead Delhi to the semi-final of the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy this season.

While the southpaw from Delhi has won India numerous Tests, ODIs and T20Is, he has also led Kolkata Knight Riders and his home team Delhi to numerous franchise and domestic titles.

But if we just have a look at his international career, Gambhir has won India some very important matches from tough situations - without which India wouldn't be the same force that they are today.

Though the left-hander has been out of contention for national selection, for quite a while now - he has always been scoring runs consistently at the domestic level and even during the Indian Premier League.

While we can only hope that the BCCI still has Gambhir on their radar for one last go, Gambhir is one who does not decide to stop and carries on with his good work.

Over the last couple of years, Gautam Gambhir has been doing a lot of activity outside the field as well, giving his expert views on various cricket analysis shows and taking up several causes and also running his own foundation.

Even during the ongoing Vijay Hazare trophy, Gautam has led his team to the semifinals in what has been a highly competitive tournament ahead of the 50-over World Cup in England next year.

On this auspicious day, let us have a look at some of Gambhir's most significant innings that have shaped India's cricketing history and made them one of the most feared sides in international cricket during the current decade.

97 vs Zimbabwe at Harare, 2nd Test played between 20-22 September 2005

Gambhir's 97 at Harare helped India secure their first overseas Test series win in 19 years.

After scoring a maiden hundred in his first series outside India against Bangladesh, Gambhir was trying to secure his place as Sehwag's opening partner in the Test side. In his first series outside Asia, Gambhir did not have much role to play in India's victory in their first Test at Bulawayo.

In the second Test match, Sourav Ganguly - in what would be his last outing as India's captain - rightly elected to bowl. Irfan Pathan's seven-wicket haul helped India bundle the opposition out for 161.

India's first innings began with a bang, with Sehwag scoring 44 at run a ball, before holing out to Heath Streak. After Sehwag's departure, Gambhir took the lead, registering a 123-run partnership with Rahul Dravid.

Gambhir scored 97 at a strike rate of over 80, giving the bowlers enough time to bowl at the opposition under good bowling conditions. Though the team could not capitalize on the good start, Dravid held one end up and ensured India got a 200-run lead.

Though both batsmen got out in the 90's, nine wickets between Zaheer and Irfan ensured India only had to score 19 runs to win the match.

This victory secured India's first overseas Test series win after a huge gap of 19 years.

75 vs Pakistan, ICC World T20 Final at Wanderers, Johannesburg on 24 September 2007

Gambhir's 75 in tough circumstances took India to a respectable total in the first-ever World T20 final

Before participating in the inaugural World T20, India had played only one T20 international - the least among all participants. Half of their squad selected for this tournament were in the West Indies playing the 50-over World Cup while the inaugural domestic T20 tournament was taking place in India.

While India struggled in their first match against Pakistan (after the match against Scotland was abandoned), they were near the exit door after a humiliating loss against New Zealand.

The match against England was India's last chance, and a 136-run opening partnership between Gambhir and Sehwag set the momentum to take India not only past the second round but to the final as well.

In the tournament final, India's captain MS Dhoni chose to bat first on a historically high-scoring ground. Debutante Yusuf Pathan did not waste any time but his dismissal slowed India's pace down.

The following batsmen in Robin Uthappa, as well as in-form Yuvraj Singh and captain MS Dhoni, struggled to time the ball.

At the same time, Gautam Gambhir was attacking a strong bowling lineup consisting of Umar Gul, Mohammad Asif, Sohail Tanveer and Shahid Afridi - besides others. His top score of 75 amid a team score of 157 for 5 provided India with a fighting score in a big tournament final.

Despite negligible support from other batsmen, Gambhir scored at a strike rate of 140 and played fearlessly - hitting the bowler of the tournament Umar Gul out of the park as well.

In what turned out to be a low scoring match, Gambhir ended as the only batsman scoring a half-century. India's bowlers took wickets at regular intervals, and Pakistan could not get on top of India at any point during the chase.

India eventually held their nerve and won the match by 5 runs, thanks to one major blunder in a chanceless innings by Misbah-ul-Haq.

This performance helped India register their first ever ICC World T20 tournament victory, and the only one till date. Gambhir was also the second-highest run-scorer in the tournament with three fifties to his name.

137 vs New Zealand at Napier, 2nd Test played between 26-30 March 2009

Gambhir's 137 and 167 in consecutive Tests helped India win their first series in New Zealand after 41 years

After 102 runs in a ten-wicket win in the first Test at Seddon Park, Gambhir was up against a real challenge in the second Test at Napier. New Zealand declared after scoring 619 in the first innings and bowled India out for 305 - asking them to follow on.

India got off to a bad start in the second innings as well, losing the early wicket of Sehwag. But Gambhir drew courage from his new partner Rahul Dravid and found the focus to bat for long.

Gambhir registered solid partnerships - first with Dravid and then with Tendulkar. Gambhir had come out to bat on the final session of day 3 and played till the final session of the last day of the match.

Gambhir finally got out on 137 after playing 436 balls and after batting for almost 11 hours. VVS Laxman's strokeful unbeaten century and Yuvraj Singh's fifty ensured India lost only four wickets in their 180 overs at the crease.

India drew the match and followed it with another draw in the third Test at Wellington. Gambhir scored 167 in the second innings there too, ensuring India's first Test series win in New Zealand after 41 years.

Gambhir was the tournament's highest run-getter with 445 runs in just 3 Tests at an average of 89.

93 and 64 vs South Africa, 3rd Test played between 2-6 January 2011 at Cape Town

Gambhir's fighting innings at Cape Town against a world-class bowling attack helped India create history.

After two gruelling Test matches, the series between India and South Africa was level at 1-1. In the series decider, South Africa scored 362 in the first innings, after a 161 from Jacques Kallis and a five-wicket haul to Sreesanth.

India were on the back foot after losing both Sehwag and Dravid with the score at 28. Gambhir and Sachin Tendulkar steadied things, stitching together a 176-run partnership to put the team back on track. Yet again, Gambhir got out in the nervous 90's - but his job was still only half done.

With India managing only a two-run lead in the first innings, thanks to a blistering 146 from Sachin Tendulkar (his record 51st and last Test century), South Africa managed to give India a 340-run target despite a seven-wicket haul by Harbhajan Singh.

India had only one full day to chase the target, but decided to save the Test rather than going for the target.

India lost Sehwag early despite a cautious start by the otherwise explosive opener. Dravid and Gambhir played with an almost dead bat and played till lunch and beyond. While Dravid lost his wicket before tea, Gambhir batted two sessions - getting out for 64 off 184 balls. Tendulkar and Laxman played out the remaining overs to secure a draw.

Gambhir scored 242 runs in only 4 innings in the series, including three fifties at an average of 60.50. His consistent run and specifically this performance, helped India secure their first ever Test series draw in South Africa - their best result in South Africa to date.

97 vs Sri Lanka at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, ICC Cricket World Cup Final on 2 April 2011

Gambhir's 97 in the World Cup final is regarded as one of the best international innings in a World Cup final

Going into their first World Cup final at home, India were under a lot of positive and negative pressure for a lot of reasons. Having been humiliated in their previous World Cup final in 2003, Indian fans still had a lot of expectations from a side with a mix of experience and youth.

India lost the toss this time and Sri Lanka decided to bat - setting India a target of 275 from 50 overs.

By the beginning of the seventh over, both of India's openers - Sehwag and Sachin - were back in the dressing room. Lasith Malinga was in red-hot form and was breathing fire on his IPL home ground.

Sri Lanka were fired up as well and a bowling lineup consisting of Malinga, Muralitharan, Kulasekara and Randiv, were ready to derail India's chase in yet another tournament final - a trend their team perfected for over a decade.

Gambhir took charge of the situation and Virat Kohli provided just the support he needed. The Delhi teammates kept rotating the strike and hitting the odd boundaries whenever the opportunity came.

Gambhir swept, cut, pulled and dived, and carried on even with a mud-wrapped shirt. Kohli's innings was put to halt by a brilliant caught and bowled by Tillakaratne Dilshan.

None of that, however, deterred Gambhir, and he fought on. He was in a zone of his own and this also gave confidence to India's out of form captain MS Dhoni, who came out of his usual number six position in that tournament to bat at number five.

Whether it was Muralitharan, Randiv, Dilshan, Malinga, Kulasekara or Thisara Perera, Gambhir attacked all the bowlers with equal ease - taking India to within 52 runs of victory.

With 52 still needed, Gambhir - on 97 - went down the wicket and played a premeditated horizontal bat shot to find his off stump uprooted. Dhoni, who had also passed his half-century by then, played the finishing innings of his life, while player-of-the-tournament Yuvraj Singh held the other end.

Dhoni finished with a six, won the trophy and the man-of-the-match award. Gambhir deserved a hundred and at least the man-of-the-match award according to many but as Dhoni himself stated himself in the post-match presentation, he had himself to blame.

This knock helped India earn their India's first ever tournament victory in a 50-over World Cup. Gambhir finished the tournament as the sixth-highest run-scorer and second-highest for India after Sachin - with 393 runs off 9 innings with 4 fifties - against England, South Africa, Australia (in the quarter-final) and Sri Lanka (in the final).