Delhi: Out of favour Indian opener Gautam Gambhir has had a fantastic Ranji Trophy season and recently, he played a pivotal role in Delhi’s thumping win over Bengal in the semi-final of India’s premier domestic competition.
Although he might be out of the national reckoning, the left-hander always has said that he doesn’t worry about getting selected and instead tries to give his best performance with the bat in hand and this time too, he had a similar thing to say.
“I don’t speak to the selectors and I don’t need to speak to the selectors. Ultimately, my job is to score runs and that is what I only focus on,” said Gambhir in an interview with PTI.
The southpaw has had a terrific Ranji season so far where he has amassed a total of 632 runs which includes three centuries and two fifties. Despite such an impressive tournament, Gambhir, at 36 is unlikely to be recalled to the Indian team. But that hardly bothers him as he has his sights set on scoring as many runs as he can and needless to say, he has had a crucial role to play in Delhi’s Ranji Trophy success so far this year.
He said, “Keep scoring runs, that is what you can control and you can do. You can’t control things which are not in your hands. The only thing you can control is to get a bat in your hand, go out there, perform and score as many runs as possible.”
“That is what you are meant to do and that is what I am trying to do. This year is no difference from what I used to do last year. The motivation is exactly the same. The day I don’t feel the same I will not hang around.”
Powered by a magnificent 127 from Gambhir’s bat in the first innings, Delhi made it to the Ranji Trophy final for the first time in 10 years. Way back in the 2007-2008 season, it was the left-hander who had done well with the bat to help Delhi left the title.
“We reached the finals so obviously the achievement is great. Hopefully, we can go one step ahead and win it after 10 years which is going to be great,” he said.
Commenting on his form so far, the former Delhi skipper said, “So far it’s been decent. Obviously, when you get 600 plus runs it’s good. The most important is that you have contributed to the games which are very crucial as well, whether it was the quarterfinal or the semi-final. As a senior player, you have to be good in the crunch games and there is still one more game to go.”
The 36-year-old was involved in an ugly confrontation with Delhi coach KP Bhaskar last year over the handling of players and was handed a four-match ban as a result.
He said, “Ultimately, it’s not the coach or the support staff that matters. What matters is the performance of the team. If the players are performing that is all that matters.”
He also added that Delhi has a long road to travel to be bracketed alongside elite Ranji Trophy teams like Mumbai and Karnataka.
“I don’t like mentioning about one or two because it’s unfair to mention one or two names. Most of the guys have grabbed their opportunities and that is why we are where we are. I don’t believe in talking about individuals in a team sport. People have done well, people have taken their opportunities and that is a good sign for Delhi cricket,” he said.
The senior-most member of the current Delhi team, Gambhir laid emphasis on consistency as being the key to be a good side.
He said, “There is still a long way to go. Consistency is all that matters. Look at someone like Karnataka, look at some like Mumbai they have won so many times consistently. They are the most consistent teams going around. Let’s see how we do next year because the follow-up year is very important and that is what will show where you stand. Any team can have one good one season but ultimately it is the consistency that really matters.”