Gautam Gambhir, one of India's most underrated and biggest match-winners of all time, turned 42 on Saturday.
Since his international debut in 2003 till 2016, Gambhir made a reputation for himself as a fierce competitor on the crease and a batter with elegant drives and pulls. With his top-class performance in must-win ICC Cricket World Cup and ICC T20 World Cup matches, he established himself as an ultimate clutch player.
Gambhir played 58 Tests for India, scoring 4,154 runs at an average of 41.95. He scored nine centuries and 22 fifties in his Test career in 104 innings, with the best score of 206.
He is the only Indian to score a century in five successive Test matches between March 2009 to April 2010.
He also won the ICC Test Player of the Year Award in 2009. Between 2008-09 in 13 Tests, he made 1,861 runs at an average of 77.54 in 25 innings, with the best score of 206 and seven centuries, seven fifties.
In 147 ODI matches, he has scored 5,238 runs at an average of 39.68 and 11 centuries and 34 fifties, with the best score of 150*. He is the 13th-highest scorer in ODIs for India.
The high point of Gambhir's ODI career was winning the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup with India. In the final against Sri Lanka, he scored a marvellous 97 during a tough run-chase of 275 runs. He ended the tournament as the sixth-highest run-scorer, with 393 runs in nine innings at an average of 43.66, with four half-centuries.
In 37 T20Is, Gambhir scored 932 runs at an average of 27.41 and a strike rate of over 119. He scored seven fifties, with the best score of 75.
With his consistent performances, Gambhir won India the inaugural ICC T20 World Cup in 2007, smashing a match-winning 75 against Pakistan in the final. In seven matches, he scored 227 runs at an average of 37.83, with three fifties in six innings. He was the second-highest run-scorer for India in the tournament.
Overall in 242 international matches, he scored 10,324 runs at an average of 38.95, with 20 centuries and 63 fifties in 283 innings, with the best score of 206. He is the 14th highest-run-scorer of all time for India.
He also led Kolkata Knight Riders to two Indian Premier League (IPL) titles and also played for Delhi Capitals. In 154 matches, he scored 4,217 runs at an average of 31.24 and a strike rate of over 123. He scored 36 fifties, with the best score of 93. (ANI)
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