PM Modi inspired Gautam Gambhir last December to join politics

Former India opener Gautam Gambhir on Friday officially became a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party, settling all speculation that was doing the rounds for some time. The 37-year-old former cricketer from Delhi completed the formalities in the presence of two Union ministers — Ravi Shankar Prasad and Arun Jaitley — and could be contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha election from teh high-profile New Delhi constituency.

Gambhir said while joining the saffron party that he decided to take the step after getting influenced by the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said it was an honour for him to join the platform. The former Indian opener, who quit the game last December during the Ranji Trophy, is known for his forthright visions and social charity.

Modi was impressed by Gambhir’s inclination for social work

It is said that the former cricketer’s penchant for social work did not escape Modi’s eyes. According to a report in The Economic Times, Modi wrote to Gambhir last December after the latter quit cricket praising not just his cricketing feats but also his nationalistic stance and service to the community.

“The firmness and frankness with which you have spoken about issues, especially relating to India’s unity and integrity have endeared you to the people across the spectrum,” Modi wrote in his letter, as per the ET report. Given the fact that Modi himself has been associated with a political orientation that values community service, it was not surprising to see him appreciating the philanthropist in Gambhir.

The former cricketer, who has been a member of two Indian World Cup-winning squads (2007 and 2011), later shared Modi’s letter and thanked him for the kind words.

Gambhir played international cricket between 2004 and 2016 when he got dropped for poor form after a Test against England. The man has scored over 10,000 runs in international cricket with 20 hundreds. As a captain, too, he has succeeded at different levels with two Indian Premier League titles for Kolkata Knight Riders being his highest feats.

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