Gautam Gambhir – A Look at The Iconic Cricketer’s Career

Gautam Gambhir, the iconic Indian cricketer, is one of the most successful and influential players in cricket history. He has achieved a rare feat of leading his team to victory in both the 2007 ICC world T20 and 2011 ICC world cup. He has achieved numerous honours such as becoming the fastest Indian batsman to reach 10000 runs in ODIs, being awarded the Padma Shri in 2009, and scoring 75 off 54 balls in World Cup finals. He captained The team Kolkata Knight Riders for many times and has joined as a mentor for the Lucknow Super giants as per the IPL news now. Gautam Gambhir’s strong performance on field and inspiring leadership have made him one of India’s most loved cricketers, who will be remembered for years to come.

An Introduction to the Early Life of Gambhir

Gautham Gambhir, a former all-rounder in Indian-Cricket and also a Member of Lok Sabha from East Delhi, was born on 14th October in 1982 to a textile business person Deepak Gambhir and Sunitha Gambhir. Gambhir was adopted by his maternal  grandparents and lived with them since days after the birth. He has his ancestral roots in Multan, a city in the Punjab region of Pakistan. Gambhir was very passionate to cricket from a very early age. He started playing cricket from the age of 10. Gambhir was coached by Sanjay Bharadwaj and later by Raju Tandon. Gambhir decided to make the cricket his profession and worked hard for this dream. His dedication and hard work finally secured an admission to the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore in early 2000s.

Gambhir’s Struggles & Early Career in Cricket

Gambhir served as left-handed batsman and a right-arm leg breaker bowler in the Cricket. He began his international career through ODI against Australia in 2004 which was the beginning of the Golden Form of his career. He played ODIs of 2005, 2006 and 2007 as well. But he didn’t get selected for the world cup of 2007 as the board decided to only keep the top-order players such as Sachin Tendulkar, Saurav Ganguli etc. He got utterly depressed of this, He even stopped practicing and even thought of quitting the Cricket completely. It was really a tough time for him. But he stuck with the cricket as he didn’t have any other career options before him.  Later he got selected for India’s ODI tour 2007 where he scored two centuries in it and fixed his seat on Ireland Tour in the same year. He gained the Man of the Match award for the Ireland Tour with a unbeaten score of 80 runs in the first match of the tour.

The golden era of Gambhir begun with the Twenty 20 world cup 2007 where he was the top run scorer of India in the tournament with a score of 227 runs which included three half centuries. He had to stay out of the test series due to a shoulder injury in 2008.  Later he scored his career best in the 2008 CB series where he scored 113 runs from 119 balls and an overall score of 440 runs in the entire series. He also solidified his position in the test series with his top run- gross. He got banned for one test due to a controversy of elbowing the bowler, Shane Watson while taking run.

He was chosen by the Delhi Daredevils for IPL for about 6 crore rupees and grossed about 600 runs in the entire tournament in 2008. He played in Delhi team upto 2010 where he was assigned the captaincy of the team in the year 2010. Later he moved on to the Kolkata Knight Riders for a record amount of 20cr and played for them from 2011 to 2017. He led the team for these years where they lifted cup twice in 2012 an 2014 and reached playoffs in 2011,2016 and 2017. Later, as per the Gambhir’s wish he moved to his debut team, Delhi Daredevils where he was captained in 2018 and it turned out to be his last IPL match of the career. He is currently the mentor of the Lucknow Super Giants which is a new team.

Gambhir’s Post-Retirement Career & His Social-Contribution

Gambhir retired officially from the cricket career in 2018 with his match for Delhi against Andhra Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy with a total runs of 112 runs in the match and 43rd century in first class cricket.  He had started a philanthropic initiative which was named as Gautham Gambhir Foundation in 2014 which aimed the empowerment and educational support for children and also protecting the adolescent girls by providing them hygiene and nutrients. He also set up a community kitchen in Delhi to provide food for poor so that no one slept with hunger in the city.  His social activities gained much public support which secured him a place in the Lok Sabha as a MP in 2019 from East Delhi. He was awarded with the Padma Shri, the 4th highest civilian award of India in 2019 for his valuable contributions to the Indian Cricket as well as his contributions to the Society.

Gautam Gambhir  has been a pillar of strength for the Indian cricket team, having represented India in many big tournaments. His batting prowess, leadership skills and ability to stay calm under pressure made him an iconic figure in the history of Indian cricket. Known for his amazing performances on the field, Gautam Gambhir has become a hero to millions of Indians. He has inspired many future cricketers to follow their dreams and pursue their passion with determination and dedication. Beyond his prowess on the pitch, Gautam Gambhir was also a leader and mentor to some of India’s brightest young cricketers. His commitment to excellence and hardworking nature made him an inspiration to millions of cricket fans around the globe. He will always remain one of India’s most beloved sportsmen for generations to come .