Dear Gautam Gambhir,
You know you have been one of the biggest match-winners that India has produced and that too in the crucial grand finales where you have donned the Indian jersey. May it be the 2007 T20 World Cup when India started crumbling or the 2011 World Cup where India had early woes to Gautam Gambhir.
However, final is just a part of the tournament. There were countless other performances that set the tone perfectly for India reaching those important stages. May it be Yuvraj Singh in both the World Cups or Virender Sehwag who would terrorize the bowlers. In fact 2007 had another underrated gem who is probably no longer remembered in modern day cricket, RP Singh while 2011 saw Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra rattling the spines of the opposition.
Yet, how many of them have actually gone onto deserve the credit that they deserve. Talking about credits not given, how about we name VVS Laxman? The man would almost single-handedly win matches for India and that too away from the country. How about we name Cheteshwar Pujara? How about we name Ajinkya Rahane in his prime?
Sad that they didn’t grab the limelight as they would have wanted to. You know in 2007 World Cup semi-final where you and Sehwag was back in the hut, it was Robin Uthappa who paired well with Yuvraj to help India out of the predicament. In the 2003 ICC Champions Trophy when India was crumbling in front of Zimbabwe like a house of cards, it was Mohammed Kaif who would score a well-deserved century against an all-firing Zimbabwean bowling unit comprising the likes of Heath Streak, Douglas Hondo, Ssean Ervine, Guy Whittall and Ray Price.
All those names who didn’t get the desired credits didn’t actually go onto be salty about it. They didn’t fight others for the same. Gambhir, you are one of the most respected personalities of Indian cricket. We all know what you did. There is nothing more that you need to do for getting a higher pedestal.
You being a trail blazer for the Kolkata Knight Riders, should actually be proud that you have taken the team to great heights. In fact, LSG has also been doing well under your chaperonage. And yet you need to pull off these antiques? Gambhir, we love you and we respect you. You are a twin World Cup winner, a twin IPL champion. Do we say more? We don’t need to.
Instead of setting examples like these on the ground, please be the smiling Gauti that we all knew. That face would melt our hearts in a flash second. No matter what, I would still say that I love you but the road you are taking, that is a lonely one.
Yours sincerely.
A heartbroken cricket fan
