Finally India has saved the second Test match against New Zealand. Actually it was the marathon, match-saving 137 runs inning of Gautam Gambhir which helped India to save the match. He batted for 11 hours for this century. After this historical performance of Gambhir, Sehwag said he proved his game has improved and he is capable of saving matches like Dravid, who is known as ‘The Wall’ for his impregnable defence and patience. I must say, he is second wall of Team India.

No doubt, Gambhir is not like other wonder boys of Indian cricket like Sachin, Dhoni, Sehwag, Yuvraj. But he is a good solid opening batsman for Team India. Day by day, his technique and batting style is improving. He has been a member of the Indian national cricket team since 2003 (ODIs) and 2004 (Tests). Gambhir had been a great run-scorer in domestic cricket with an average of over 50 but his two successive double-hundreds in 2002 (one of them against the visiting Zimbabweans) made him a strong contender for India’s opening slot. He became only the fourth Indian batsman to score a double century in a tour game at home, the previous three being Sunil Gavaskar, Dilip Vengsarkar and Sachin Tendulkar, so you can judge the caliber of this young cricketer of India.

Gambhir was selected in India’s squad for the 2007 ICC World Twenty20, which India went on to win in South Africa, beating Pakistan in the final. Gambhir performed well in the tournament. He was India’s top run scorer, with 227 at an average of 37.83, including three half-centuries which included a crucial 75 runs off 54 balls against Pakistan in the final. He was also picked up by the Delhi Daredevils franchise in the first player auction of the Indian Premier League for a price of US$725,000 a year. Last year, he finally solidified his place in the Indian Test team as an opener with a string of high scores. Opening the batting with Delhi teammate Virender Sehwag, he scored 858 runs at over 61 in seven matches including a double century vs. Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Really, he is not only second wall of India but also second Gavaskar of India. What do you think about Gautam Gambhir? Post your Comments.