Gautam Gambhir Stand Unveiled At Arun Jaitley Stadium

Cricket legend Gautam Gambhir won’t be having any problem deciding where to seat when he visits the Arun Jaitley Stadium next as one of the stands in the stadium has been named after him. The former India cricketer will go down in history as one of the finest openers to have played for the country. He formed a formidable partnership with Virender Sehwag as the two played an important part in India’s dominating phase across formats in the second half of the last decade.

Gautam Gambhir and Sehwag put on 4412 runs in 87 innings together from 2004 to 2012. Their tally is the fifth best for any pair of openers in Test cricket. Gambhir was also part of the India team that ascended to the No.1 spot in Test cricket in 2009 under MS Dhoni, and his rich vein of form in 2008 and 2009 earned him the ICC Test Player of the Year award in 2009.

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Before announcing his retirement last year, he played 58 Tests, scoring 4154 runs at an average of 41.95, including nine centuries and 22 fifties. He played 147 ODIs, scoring 5238 runs at an average of 39.68 and a strike-rate of 85.25. Gambhir also played 37 T20Is, scoring 932 runs at a strike-rate of 119.02. But he is best remembered for his knocks in the final of the 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 World Cup.

He was the top-scorer in both the finals. Gambhir made 75 in the 2007 World T20 final, when India beat Pakistan by five runs. In the 2011 World Cup final, batting at No.3, he scored 97 to revive India after Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar had fallen early.

Gautam Gambhir reacts to the news:

The former India opener, meanwhile, took to Twitter to express his delight over the stand being named after him at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.

Arun Jaitley Ji was like a father figure to me and it is a matter of great pride and pleasure to have a stand built in my name at the "Arun Jaitley Stadium". I thank the apex council, my fans, friends, and family who supported me at every step. pic.twitter.com/HcWilZlrho

— Gautam Gambhir (@GautamGambhir) November 26, 2019