Discarded southpaw Gautam Gambhir, who is celebrating his 36th birthday whereas, the wishes poured-in from every corner of the country, as die-hard fans follow cricket religiously – to boost the morale of the players owing to the national allegiance.
The former cricketers also took to the micro-blogging website Twitter to wish the promising batsman, who has played a significant part for his national side India which eventually included Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh while sharing the cordial relation on and off-the-field.
According to the recently uploaded video on the official YouTube channel of Indian Premier League (IPL) Kolkata Knight Riders where Gambhir revealed his bond with the two veterans of the national side.
“I spent a lot of time with Viru (Virender Sehwag),” Gambhir revealed in Kolkata-based outfit’s YouTube video conducted by Jatin Sapru.
Gambhir previously featured in an international fixture in November 2016 Test against England at Rajkot. Photo Credit: Web.
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However, the flamboyant former opener Virender Sehwag has already announced his retirement and overlooked Yuvraj is aiming to impress the national selectors shortly.
“I also spent a lot of time with Yuvi (Yuvraj Singh) when we played together,” Gambhir told Sapru in the Breakfast episode for the Knight Riders.
The left-handed Delhi-born batsman Gambhir has enthralled his fans owing to the splendid performances during his international career, as he is further focusing on his fitness and cricket – to make a hard-fought return to the national fold.
Moreover, Gambhir, who lead Knight Riders from the front with two IPL titles under his belt in the Twenty20 professional league.
Gambhir reiterated he has a friend in fast-bowlers Ishant Sharma and Munaf Patel followed by leg-spinner Amit Mishra while spending quality time with the slow bowler during playing days.
“Obviously, Ishant (Sharma) is a very good friend. Munaf (Patel) is a good friend. I grew up with Amit Mishra and we practiced a lot,” Gambhir maintained.
Gambhir made it clear by saying he has had faced an uphill task alongside such players while adding the journey has been great in the gentleman’s game which eventually helped him to become a tough character during his multiple challenges.
“I share a great relationship with all these guys and we have seen highs and lows together,” Gambhir remarked.
Gambhir, who wore heart on his sleeve revealed he had cherished the coveted title of 2007 Twenty20 World Cup followed by 2011 World Cup win over Sri Lanka at iconic Wankhede in Mumbai.
“I think some of our great cricketing moments have been together, especially winning the 2007 WT20 and 2011 World Cup,” Gambhir remarked.
Known for his aggressive brand of cricket, Gambhir is currently representing Delhi in the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2017-18 under the tutelage of Ishant Sharma, as he believes the competition is playing an imperative role to nurse the young talent.
“I think I have got my own game face, which people normally see on the cricket ground,” Gambhir concluded.
The top-order batsman Gambhir represented India in 147 ODIs, followed by 58 Tests and 37 T20Is.
Across distinct formats, Gambhir has 20 hundreds and 63 half-centuries under his belt.