Gautam Gambhir

Achievements & Records

• Most ODI centuries by an Indian in 2008
• Most ODI runs scores record by an Indian player in 2008
• Most runs (1269 runs) in 2008-09 season
• ICC Test player of the year in 2009
• Most Test centuries by an Indian in 2009
• Felicitated with the Arjuna Award in 2009 for his outstanding performance in 2008
• Bagged 12 times Man of the Match award in ODIs
• 1^st Indian & 4th overall cricketer to hit 5 centuries in 5 consecutive Test matches
• 1^st Indian player to score 300+ runs in 4 consecutive Test series
• 2^nd cricketer (after Sir Viv Richards) to hit 11 fifties in 11 consecutive Test matches
• Gautam Gambhir and Chris Lynn made a record of 184 runs in an opening partnership while batting for Kolkata Knight Riders against Gujarat Lions in IPL 2017 season.
• On 16 March 2019, he was honoured with the Padma Shri award.

Gautam Gambhir is a former cricketer, who has played all formats of the game. He is a left-handed batsman who has played domestic cricket in Delhi and captained Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Daredevils in the IPL. He made his ODI debut against Bangladesh in 2003 and played his first test the following year against Australia. He captained the Indian team in six ODIs from the end of 2010 until the end of 2011 with India winning all six matches. He played an integral role in the victories of India at the 2007 World Twenty20 with 75 runs in 54 balls and the 2011 Cricket World Cup with 97 runs in 122 balls. Under his captaincy, Kolkata Knight Riders won their first IPL title in 2012 and won the title again in 2014.

Gambhir was honoured with the Arjuna Award in 2009, the second-highest sports award in India, by the President of India. In 2009, he was the number one batsman in the ICC test rankings. The same year, he received the ICC Test Player of the Year award. As of February 2020, he is the eighth-highest run-scorer for India in the Twenty20 Internationals. He announced his retirement from all formats of cricket in December 2018 and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2019 and won the Lok Sabha election from East Delhi. In 2019, he received the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award by the Government of India.

I can bat in the morning, afternoon, evening, night, on ice, desert, wherever and whenever. It is almost nirvana for me. It takes me away from the stresses of life.

Early Life

Delhi-born Gautam Gambhir opted for the sport at the age of 10. In 2000, Bangalore's National Cricket Academy selected him for the first intake. He made consistent appearances since his first-class debut domestically with an average of over 50. An attacking batsman, Gautam scored two consecutive double centuries in 2002, which attracted the attention of selectors of the Indian cricket team for the opening slot in all formats.

Gauti's Outstanding Cricket Career

He played his first ODI match against Bangladesh in 2003. He played his first Test against Australia in 2004. Playing against Bangladesh in the third match, he scored 71 and received the Man of the Match award. He scored his first ODI century against Sri Lanka in 2005, where he scored 103 runs in 97 balls and his first Test century came against Bangladesh in 2004. He was not selected for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 where India made its exit in the first round of that World Cup. Gambhir was then chosen for the series against Bangladesh where he scored a century and afterwards selected for the series against Ireland where he won Man of the Match award after scoring 80 runs in the first match.

Photo Credits: Public.Resource.Org / Flickr.com / CC BY 2.0

He was named for the 2007 ICC World Twenty20 championship where he became the top-scoring batsman for India by scoring 227 runs at an average of 37.83 and scored 75 off 54 balls in the final against Pakistan. He remained the highest run-scorer in a series against England in 2008 and against New Zealand in 2009. He was bestowed with the ICC Test Player of the year in 2009 and ranked no.1 in the ICC Test rankings. Later in 2010, he was selected as the Indian team captain for the series against New Zealand, where he scored 150 runs in the 4th match, helping India in winning the series. He also showed a brilliant performance against Sri Lanka in the 2011 World Cup final, where he scored 97 runs in 122 balls. He was appointed as the captain of KKR in the IPL. Under his brilliant captaincy, KKR won the IPL title, which is a big achievement for them. He had set several records in various editions of the Indian Premier League.

When I'm playing a team sport, it's not about one individual, it's about everyone, from me to the other 23 people who were there, to all the support staff who've worked very hard behind the scenes.

ODI Records

Gambhir has scored 11 centuries in One Day cricket. He scored his first century against Sri Lanka in 2005 where he scored 103 runs. The last century was also against Sri Lanka where he scored 102 runs in 2012.

Test Records

Gautam has scored 9 centuries in the Test format. First came against Bangladesh in 2004 where he scored 139 runs and the last one was also against Bangladesh where he scored 116 runs.

I play for India, I play for the 100 million people of my country.

IPL Career

In the inaugural season of the Indian Premier League in 2008, Gambhir was a signed by the Delhi Daredevils franchise, where he was the second-highest scorer of the season with 534 runs to his name. In 2009, he has promoted as captain for Delhi Daredevils and accumulated over 1000 runs in two seasons. Later he transferred to Kolkata Knight Riders franchise, with the cost of $2.4 million, thus making him the highest-grosser in IPL history. He was appointed as the captain of the team, and under his captaincy, Kolkata Knight Riders won the Indian Premier League twice in 2012 and 2014.

Photo Credits: Public.Resource.Org / Flickr.com / CC BY 2.0

Retirement

Gauti announced his retirement from all formats of cricket on 3 December 2018, before his final match for the Delhi cricket team against the Andhra team at the Ranji Trophy on 6 December 2018. Gambhir scored 112 runs in his last innings, his 43rd century in the first-class cricket. Gautam Gambhir began his new innings as an MP after taking oath as a Lok Sabha MP on 17 June 2019.

I think a captain is someone who captains on the cricket field but, most of the leadership that happens is off the cricket field. It's very easy to captain people on the cricket field, but if you can start leading them off the cricket field, and show them that trust, what you have in them.

The Gautam Gambhir Foundation

The Gautam Gambhir Foundation is his own philanthropic initiative, which was started in 2014 and is based in Delhi. Gambhir settled-up community kitchens in 2017 through the Foundation in Patel Nagar, Delhi, in an attempt to make sure nobody slept hungry in the city. The Foundation's major project is to reach as many children of paramilitary martyrs as possible and empower them by supporting all their educational needs. In addition to this, the GGF works with adolescent girls from disadvantaged homes to raise awareness about nutrition, health and hygiene, and an effort to make Delhi green by planting trees in the city to combat air pollution.