Gautam Gambhir, India’s clutch man in ICC events, turns 44

NEW DELHI: India men’s team current head coach and former batter Gautam Gambhir, known for his clutch performances in times of crisis, turned 44 om Tuesday. Since his international debut in 2003 till his retirement in 2016, Gambhir served India as one of its most prolific opening batters, partnering with Virender Sehwag to cause mayhem for bowlers at the top of the order.

From 2004-16, Gambhir wore India’s white Test colours on 58 occasions, scoring 4,154 runs at an average of 41.95, with nine centuries and 22 fifties in 106 innings and best score of 206. Once a number one Test batter, his two-year run from 2008-09, spanning 13 Tests, 1,861 runs at an average of 77.54 in 25 innings with seven centuries and seven fifties, earned him the ICC Test Player of Year award for 2009.

His 436-ball marathon 137 against New Zealand to save the Napier Test and win the series for India 1-0 stands as one of the finest performances by an Indian in overseas conditions. In 147 ODIs from 2003-13, he made 5,238 runs at an average of 39.68, with 11 tons and 34 fifties.

Happy Birthday to Team India’s crisis man in ICC events & current Head Coach, @GautamGambhir! pic.twitter.com/0pT89qkLQu

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) October 13, 2025

Gambhir was at his peak during the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup, finishing as sixth-leading run-getter and second for his team with 393 runs in nine innings at an average of 43.66, with four fifties, including a 122-ball 97 against Sri Lanka in the final to chase down 275 in front of a packed Wankhede in Mumbai and bring the gold home after 28 years. His soil-stained jersey stands as a sign of his determination and his win-at-all-cost mentality.

With 932 runs in 37 matches and 35 innings at an average of 27.41, strike rate of above 119 and seven fifties, Gambhir was one of India’s earliest T20 stars, most known for his valuable 75 against Pakistan in ICC T20 World Cup final back in 2007, which powered India to a match-winning total of 157/5.

In the tournament, he was India’s top run-getter and overall second, with 227 runs in six innings at an average of 37.83, with strike rate of almost 130 and three fifties. In 242 international appearances, Gambhir scored 10,324 runs at an average of 38.95, with 20 centuries and 63 fifties in 283 innings. He is amongst 14 Indians to have 10,000 international runs.

Shifting focus to the Indian Premier League (IPL), Gambhir stands as a prolific batter and skipper, having led Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to two titles in 2012 and 2014. In 154 matches, he made 4,217 runs at an average of 31.00 and a strike rate of almost 124, with 36 fifties. His 590 run in 17 matches during 2012 season, with six fifties at an average of 36.87 and a strike rate of above 143 earned him the status of a player who excelled the best with an added responsibility.

Post his playing career, he had fine success as an IPL mentor, taking Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) to playoffs in 2022 and 2023 seasons and leading KKR to the title under captaincy of Shreyas Iyer, championing a highly aggressive, exciting brand of cricket which he brought to India as a coach.

While his Test stint got off to a rocky start with a rare series loss at home to New Zealand at home by 0-3 last year after 12 years and following it with a surrender of Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Aussie land, Gambhir turned doubters into believers as he headed a new-look India, without legends Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin to a 2-2 draw against England in UK in what is regarded as one of the most well-fought Test series. Under him, India has played 16 Tests, winning six, losing eight and drawing two.

In ODIs, he has had a much better record as a coach, with an unbeaten ICC Champions Trophy campaign to his name. Just like his Test reign, his reign started off poorly with a 2-0 series loss in Sri Lanka, but with a series win at home against England and CT 2025 win, he picked up big time. So far in these 10 matches as a coach in ODIs, India had won eight, lost two and tied one match out of 11.

With skipper Suryakumar Yadav by his side, Gambhir has turned India’s once conservative T20I unit into one ruthless, unstoppable juggernaut, which recently won the T20I Asia Cup undefeated, with a clean sweep over Pakistan in a trilogy of matches, including the final, being the highlight. Since his arrival, India has won 18 T20Is, dropping just two and two ending in a tie. He has not lost a single bilateral series either as a head coach in this format. (ANI)