My most memorable knock was Napier: Gautam Gambhir

Veteran Indian opener Gautam Gambhir is currently battling hard to find a way back to the national setup. The southpaw recently plundered a ton in the semis of the Ranji Trophy 2017-18. His knock was instrumental in guiding the Delhi team to the finals of the tournament this year. On the sidelines of the game, as per the quotes in NDTV, Gambhir reflected back at some of the candid moments of his cricket career.

Gautam Gambhir picked the knock that he played at Napier to be the most cherished knock. In the Napier Test against New Zealand in 2009, Gambhir had batted for almost three long days to ensure a draw for the Indian team. He had scored 137 in the match.

“One moment I will always cherish is the Napier Test against New Zealand in 2009. I have been a traditionalist. Napier is always close to my heart. My most memorable knock was Napier. Never imagined that I could have batted for 60 hours,” quoted Gautam Gambhir.

‘Dravid brought the calmness’

Gambhir mentioned that he never thought of batting with a particular batsman. However, he feels that batting with Rahul Dravid helped him a lot. He conceded that Dravid brought an aura of calmness whenever he came out to bat. Dravid often gave him the tips that he needed whilst being on the pitch.

“My best came out with Rahul Dravid as he always gave me the sense of calmness, sense of patience. Looking at him at the non-striker’s end, made me more patient which helps in the Test format. Assurity is important at the Test level and that’s what Rahul gave me,” said Gambhir.

‘Never idolized anyone’

Elucidating his appraoch to the game, Gautam Gambhir noted that he always prefers to play the longest format of the game. He feels that the Test brings out the best out of any cricketer. Also, he added that he never idolized any cricketer. All that he ever had in mind was to play for the Indian cricket team.

“I prefer Test cricket than ODIs and T20s as it makes you a better player. I never idolised anyone, always had the feeling of playing for India. Never had this thing that I wanted to bat with someone,” mentioned the veteran opener.

On the biggest prankster in the Indian team

On a lighter note, when asked to pick the biggest prankster in the Indian team, GG picked veteran offie Harbhajan Singh to be the one. He rated him a notch higher than Yuvraj Singh in the pranking department. He mentioned that one can never get bored in the company of Harbhajan Singh.

“Bhajji was the biggest prankster. No doubt. He was a rockstar. If you are in his company… You won’t get bored. Not Yuvraj or anyone, he is the best guy to have in the dressing room,” conceded Gautam Gambhir.