Gambhir tops test ranking… is there a captain in the making?

Gautam Gambhir topped the ICC test ranking two days ago, becoming the first India batsman in over four years to head the batting rankings. In an era where T20 & ODIs are ruling the roost, this comes as the most beautiful feather in cap of this Delhi batsman, who has till now lived in the shadow of another Delhi bat who is most feared the world over – Virender Sehwag. This is the coming of age of sorts of the shy, yet determined cricketer, who has withstood the test of time and proven how valuable he is not just to Indian cricket, but to world cricket. And even though he has been off-colour in the shorter version of the game for some time now, nobody can take away from his capability to win a match on his own on his given day.

He is one of the cleanest strikers of the ball, and like Sehwag, when he hits them, they stay hit. Having Sehwag for company at the other end, while playing for Delhi in Ranji, or while playing for Delhi Daredevils, or while playing for India, would surely have impacted & influenced him. And to prove himself in such circumstances, when his partner is probably the most feared batsman in the world, who is so very popular and has such a huge fan following, can be difficult. But Gambhir has proven, if you keep working hard, nothing is impossible.

The other Indian batsmen who have reached this pinnacle are Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Dilip Vengsarkar, Sunil Gavaskar & Gundappa Vishwanath. To be in the such august company is in itself a huge honour, and this just goes on to show the class of Gambhir. All the batsmen here have two things in common. They were all batsmen in a class of their own, each one having an enviable repertoire of clean cricketing shots, and a certain individual flair which separated them from the herd. And, each one of them has been bestowed with the responsibility & pride of leading the Indian cricket team. So, do we have another captain in the making?