3 Top Players you don't know who played under Gautam Gambhir

From the likes of Kapil Dev to Mohammad Azharuddin, from Sourav Ganguly to Virat Kohli, the Indian cricket team has had some top-class players lead the side and guide the team to some famous victories over the years. And among all the big names, the one that stands at the top is MS Dhoni.

Dhoni, one of the finest white ball captains of all time, captained India in 200 ODIs and 72 T20Is, winning 110 and 41 games respectively. During Dhoni’s stint, he was also furnished with another great cricketing mind in Gautam Gambhir as his deputy. In Dhoni’s absence, Gambhir captained India in six ODIs and they won all of them. 

Five of them were against New Zealand in 2010 and one against West Indies, at home in 2011. He captained some high-profile players during the time and proved himself as a top leader of the side, as he did in the Indian Premier League (IPL) with Kolkata Knight Riders.

Here are the top three players you probably did not know, who played under Gautam Gambhir for India:

3. Zaheer Khan

Zaheer Khan was one of the finest Indian fast bowlers of all time, who had a knack for swinging a new ball and reversing the old. He played two matches under Gambhir and picked up two wickets conceding 71 runs in 16 overs.

Zaheer Khan made his international debut in October 2000 against Kenya in Nairobi and went on to represent in all three formats. He was part of the Indian team that finished as the runners-up in the 2003 World Cup and as the winner in the 2011 World Cup.

He played in three ODI World Cups in total and is the joint-highest wicket-taker for India in the World Cups with 44 wickets in 23 games at an average of 20.22 with an economy of 4.47. He also scalped a total of 610 wickets across all three formats.

2. Yuvraj Singh

One of the best middle-order batters and all-rounders in white ball cricket for India, Yuvraj Singh played all five matches of the 2010-11 home series against the Kiwis. As he did throughout his career when it mattered for India, chipped in with both bat and ball in the series.

Yuvraj scored 120 runs in four innings at an average of 60.00 and a top score of 42* during the series. He also took five wickets in 24 overs at an average of 23.40 with best figures of three for 43 and an economy rate of 4.87.

Yuvraj is most remembered for his all-round performances in the 2011 World Cup, where he was the Man of the Tournament, and the 2007 T20 World Cup, where he played match-winning knocks in do-or-die games against England and Australia.

1. Virat Kohli

It was just the starting days for young Virat Kohli when he played under Gautam Gambhir in the ODIs. He was part of all six ODIs against the Black Caps and West Indies that Gambhir captained, and was one of the most prolific run-getters for India during the time.

In the five-match series against New Zealand, he scored 234 runs in five games at an average of 58.50 and a strike rate of 91.05 with one hundred and two fifties. He also scored 80 off 85 balls against the Windies in December 2011, in a 34-run victory.

Kohli, one of the best players of his era, a “run machine”, is currently going through one of the worst phases of his career. He averages just about 25 across all three formats in 2022, which is the lowest in his career for a calendar year. However, he is regarded as one of the best Indian players of all time.