Gautam Gambhir is a former Indian cricketer who made stellar contributions to the Indian cricket team during his playing career. He made his international debut for India in an ODI against Bangladesh in 2003.
He later made his Test debut against Australia in 2004. As an opening batsman, Gambhir was known for his compact technique and aggressive approach. He could anchor the innings as well as play attacking shots when required.
Gambhir played crucial innings in some of India’s most memorable victories. His 97 in the 2007 ICC World Twenty20 final against Pakistan – his match-winning knocks in the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup final against Sri Lanka (97) and the 2007 Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test series against Australia were particularly noteworthy.
Gautam Gambhir announced his retirement from all formats of cricket in December 2018. His retirement marked the end of a prolific international career that spanned over a decade.
Gambhir reveals the name of the batter who gave him sleepless nights in IPL
Gambhir had a successful stint in the Indian Premier League (IPL) as a captain. He led the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to two IPL titles in 2012 and 2014, establishing himself as one of the most successful captains in the tournament.
In an interview with Star Sports, Gambhir revealed the name of the batsman who gave him sleepless nights in IPL and it’s not Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Chris Gayle or AB de Villiers. It is none other than Hitman Rohit Sharma.
“The only batsman I have feared in IPL is Rohit Sharma. I have never planned for any other batter except for Rohit Sharma. There have been times when I’ve seen the visuals, where I said fair enough, plan A is fine. But with Rohit Sharma, probably one night before, I used to think if this doesn’t work, I have to get this,” he told Star Sports.
“If this doesn’t work, I have to get the other plan. If Sunil bowls his four overs, who is going to bowl the next 16? And if I finish off Sunil early and if Rohit is there, he can hit 30 off one over as well. Rohit is the only batter I was scared of as an IPL captain,” added Gambhir.