By: Drcricket7 Staff
After KL Rahul’s injury and his subsequent exit from the team, a close to 80 per cent voted online in favour of Gautam Gambhir opening the Indian innings with Murali Vijay, not Shikhar Dhawan.
However, it wasn’t meant to be. Because Dhawan is the team management’s choice in the playing XI. Even Gambhir also knows this. Ahead of the second Test match against New Zealand at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, the entire support staff was busy preparing Dhawan for the game.
Not much of attention was given to Gambhir. He even batted towards the fag end of the net session, clearly indicating that Dhawan is the preferred choice. Fortunately, Gambhir doesn’t mind all that because “it’s a part of the game”. After all, he wasn’t expecting to get a call from the selectors to join the Indian Test team.
Then, getting an immediate entry in the playing XI isn’t something he is again beyond his control. He knows that the Indian team management is following a pattern of giving first preference to a player who has been around with the team for a while. Therefore, Gambhir is somewhat like a new entrant.
But as a player, the 35-year old cricketer possesses those same traits, which had made him the No. 1 batsman in Test cricket. The Delhi southpaw isn’t as flamboyant as India’s Test captain Virat Kohli. Still, he is in a league of his own.
