Gautam Gambhir – Adaptability His Middle Name

On a day when batting did not look easy, Gautam Gambhir showed the reward for patience and persistence. It was perhaps a leaf out of Australia’s rule book on this tour and it did not please Ricky Ponting plenty.

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In Mohali, the Indian openers were given a free license to rule and they did, especially in the second innings. India’s decision not to enforce the follow on and put pressure thereby, on the Australians chasing in the fourth innings was vindicated by the dash Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir put on the evening of the third day’s play.

But Ferozeshah Kotla, Delhi presented a different proposition. The Australians were in an irritable mood. The Indians perhaps a tad on the edge. The situation made for testing times on the first day of the third Test. It was imperative that India put as much pressure as possible on the visitors trailing 1-0 in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2008.

Gambhir changed gears in a manner that is only heartening for Indian cricket. Gone was the aggression and in its place, a more subdued knock. It was not sublime; it was not always pretty or exciting. But it was an innings of character building. The strength of the Indian opener showed through even as India lost a couple of early wickets. Accelerating when Sachin Tendulkar or V.V.S. Laxman was at his peak in the course of the innings and putting the nose to the grindstone where required, Gambhir’s knock was slow but rock solid in India’s cause. Playing the sedate role to perfection, Gambhir managed to sneak up on the Australians as they looked for bigger fish to fry.

The shot he selected to bring up only his third Test century and second against Australia in successive Tests was also uncharacteristic, not of his style of batting, but rather of his innings thus far this day. Stifled by the tight fielding in the inner ring set by Ponting, Gambhir decide to loft the ball over mid on for a six that took everyone by surprise. His century was not only well deserved, his knock was priceless in India’s context in not letting the initiative wrested by the Australians desperate to make inroads.

It has not been the most resplendent knock, but it has been absorbing. That Gambhir can turn it on and really go hammer and tongs and also, adapt to play an anchored role for his side makes Gambhir a valuable weapon and the perfect foil for his always belligerent partner, even if he is playing on his home turf.