Gautam Gambhir shocked one and all after the veteran batsman joined Bhartiya Janata Party(BJP) in March and speculations kept arising that he may contest from Delhi constituency in the ongoing general elections. The party finally confirmed on Monday that the 2011 world cup final hero will contest from East Delhi constituency and will replace the current sitting MP Maheish Giri, who also happens to be from BJP.
Gambhir will face a stern test from Aam Aadmi Party’s Aatishi Marlena and Congress’s Arvinder Singh Lovely. Congress’s candidate left the party in 2017 to join BJP but he changed his mind soon after and went back to Congress.
Cricketer turned politician
Gambhir is few of those cricketers who started their second innings in politics after retirement from cricket. The Delhi cricketer joined Bhartiya Janata Party(BJP) on 22nd March, 2018 in the presence of Union ministers Arun Jaitley and Ravi Shankar Prasad in New Delhi.
Cricketing journey
The veteran southpaw played crucial knocks in 2007 world T20 final and 2011 world cup final which are often underrated but there is no denying that his contributions to Indian cricket came at the time when team needed him desperately.
Iconic figures
It was often said that Gambhir had all the form to serve the Indian cricket for long but his attitude often forced the selectors and even the captain to show him the way out of the team.
He made his ODI debut against Bangladesh in 2003 and since then has featured in 147 matches in the 50 over format and amassed 5238 runs at an average of 39.68 including 11 ton and 34 half-ton. The match turning innings of 97 runs in 2011 world cup final will stand as the best innings of his career.
A brilliant captain
He was awarded the captaincy role in 2010 during the ODI series against New Zealand. Gambhir led the team to victory and whitewashed the Black caps courtesy of Yusuf Pathan’s brilliance in the series. The Delhi lad went onto captain a depleted looking Kolkata Knight Riders and went onto win two title with them with an ordinary looking team.
