Gautam Gambhir: The ‘angry young man’ of Indian cricket

It was November 2013. Gautam Gambhir had been out of favour with Team India and needed many runs to be back in the reckoning. But instead of the batsman-friendly flat pitch of the Ferozeshah Kotla Stadium, he opted for the green-topped pitch of the Roshanara Club as the Delhi cricket team captain for the Ranji trophy.

It was because team victory mattered more to him. And that hasn’t changed much over the years, despite Gambhir’s journey as controversy’s favourite child, the “most misunderstood player”, or, as one former selector said, the “angry young man” of Indian cricket.

This month, he was in the eye of another storm, months after replacing Rahul Dravid as India’s head coach, and as he faced his biggest challenge in his new role in Australia.

During a press conference ahead of India’s Australia tour, he lashed out at Ricky Ponting for casting aspersions on Virat Kohli’s recent lean patch. “What does Ponting have to do with Indian cricket? He should think about Australian cricket,” the 43-year-old coach said. The former Australian captain retaliated and called him a “prickly character.” Sanjay Manjrekar, who does not pay attention to players from North India, then advised BCCI to keep the live wire away from press conferences.

First innings, without any cricketing idols

Gambhir was born with a golden spoon in a Punjabi Hindu family in 1981 in Delhi. His family had political connections reaching up to the doors of the late chief minister, Madanlal Khurana, a source close to the family said. 

He was raised by his mother’s family. His maternal uncle Pawan Gulati, now a treasurer with the Delhi District Cricket Association, took him to club matches and training sessions. In his early days, Gambhir, studying at Modern School, Barakhamba Road, trained at Playmakers Academy at Pusa Road, Bharat Nagar Cricket Club, and the Indira Gandhi Stadium under Sanjay Bharadwaj and Raju Tandon.