Gautam Gambhir has fought his way back to India’s Test team but we will have to wait and watch to see whether he gets a chance to be a part of the playing XI in the second Test of the ongoing series against New Zealand at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Gambhir was dropped because of his horrible form and he has taken long time to push the selectors for a spot in the squad. Many believe that Gambhir’s horrible form with the bad and an errant attitude made it almost impossible for him to make a comeback.
Gambhir’s form in the Duleep Trophy made it very difficult for the selectors to ignore him. He was initially overlooked but injury to KL Rahul opened the gates for Gautam Gambhir. He made 356 runs at an average of 71.20 in Duleep Trophy.
Now, it would be interesting to see who Virat Kohli and Anil Kumble pick to replace KL Rahul as Murali Vijay’s opening partner- Shikhar Dhawan or Gautam Gambhir?
Shikhar Dhawan in his last 7 Tests, he has averaged just 28.80 with no centuries.
These numbers aren’t satisfactory for an opener in Test cricket. Over the last year, even Ravichandran Ashwin has a better average than Shikhar Dhawan.
Gambhir is still young and has at at least 2-3 years of cricket left in him. The most important factor while making this choice would be the turning track at Eden Gardens. New Zealand played 3 spinners in the first and they are likely to go with the same combination in the second Test as well.
Now, Gambhir has always been a brilliant batsman against spin-bowling. Gautam Gambhir, along with Virender Sehwag , formed the most successful opening combination for India in Test cricket. Gambhir and Sehwag scored 4412 runs at 52.52, the most by an opening pair for India in Tests. Gambhir’s individual numbers are also very impressive. He has 4046 runs in 56 Tests at 42.58, with nine hundreds.
Even after he has made to the Test squad, it will be an uphill task for Gautam Gambhir. KL Rahul is young and has impressed one and all with his batting. Replacing him will require a splash of runs and Gambhir will have this at the back of his mind.
If Shikhar Dhawan’s recent form in Test cricket is considered, Gautam Gambhir should play. And if he plays, he needs to score big.
