Gambhir eyeing Test opener's slot with IPL performance
Gautam Gambhir is a roaring
success in the inaugural Indian Premier League and the orange cap
should remain with him as the highest scorer in the Twenty20
tournament unless his Delhi Daredevils team is shown the door before
the semi-finals.
With 504 runs from 13 matches at an average of 45.81 the Daredevils opener is the top scorer in the IPL, followed by teammate Virender Sehwag (385) and Shaun Marsh (378).
Gambhir told
Friday that he is going through a dream run and hopes that the wealth
of runs he has accumulated in the shorter forms of the game would help him
regain the Test opener's slot, now that he has established himself in the
One-Day and Twenty20 sides.
The 26-year-old Delhiite realises that it is not going to be easy. Even
before he made his mark as an opener in the one-dayers, he has been in and
out of the Indian dressing room, but a splendid display in the Twenty20
World Championship in South Africa turned things around.
'I have done well in both the ODI and Twenty20 formats, but I would like
to establish myself as a complete cricketer and for that I must get back
into the Test squad. It is a tough competition and given a chance I would
prove myself,' said Gambhir, who has played 14 Tests.
Gambhir's Test woes began when an injury kept him out of Australia-bound
squad and his replacement Virender Sehwag grabbed the opportunity. The
other opener Wasim Jaffer has entrenched himself with double centuries
against West Indies and Pakistan. Yet, the consistency from the openers is
missing.
Gambhir feels that the orange cap should attract the national selectors.
'Frankly, I am not disappointed as I cannot complain that I have not got
opportunities to stage a comeback. But, now I am hoping the IPL
performance will impress the selectors.
'The IPL has provided a great opportunity to the younger players. Like
other young players I must have also gained experience and confidence from
these outings.
'Scoring runs in any form of the game boosts your confidence and if you
get it against quality bowling attack then the joy is that much more. I
have scored runs against top bowlers in the world and that is a great
satisfaction for me,' said the dashing left-handed batsman.
He said the IPL is the best thing to have happened to domestic cricketers.
'The IPL has
shown that we have a rich talent base. A lot of young players have come up
and playing alongside some of the great players has obviously helped
them,' said Gambhir.
For him opening the Daredevils innings with Sehwag
and sharing the dressing room with players of different countries
has made the IPL memorable.
'Playing with Sehwag has always been a great
experience as he takes the pressure off me. We both are stroke
players and when we go out to open the innings we have just one
thing in mind, to give a good start, and that's what we have tried
to do right through the tournament,' he said.
Gambhir ended on a positive note, that the Twenty20 will never
endanger the popularity of ODIs.
