Gambhir's decision to miss a test due to his sister's wedding proves that priorities have indeed changed among cricketers
Gambhir's decision to miss a test due to his sister's wedding proves that priorities have indeed changed among cricketers
Gautam Gambhir's decision to miss the third Test against Sri Lanka due to his sister's wedding could well be another first in Indian cricket. For, historians are struggling to come up with similar instances.
The cynics would have found this reason outrageous but broader-minded followers of the game would appreciate the significance of Gambhir's sister's wedding better. However, it's still a matter of debate.
Jaywant Lele, who was secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in the late 1990s found Gambhir's decision appalling. "I would never have allowed it if I were the BCCI secretary.
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I would have asked him to play for India first," he said over the phone. Lele was a firm administrator and would have spelt out the dangers if the player insisted on not playing.
No player would miss a Test match to attend a social function, but the Delhi batsman and his sister appear to have a very special bonding. The custom aspect has to be taken into consideration too.
Dilip Vengsarkar, who was chairman of selectors when Gambhir started playing regularly for India, said: "It's a personal choice and it depends on the individual. At the end of the day, you have to respect it."
Former opening batsman Anshuman Gaekwad didn't hide his surprise at the news of his pull-out. "This is a major surprise to me," Gaekwad said. "Something like this was unimaginable in my playing days.
I am the only son in my family and I have three sisters, but all the weddings were done keeping the cricket schedule in mind. There was no way I would miss a Test match. I got married during the off-season - in the month of May"
In those days, cricket was clearlyu00a0 first among equals.
Gaekwad remembered his former colleague Sunil Gavaskar going through a whole West Indies tour in 1975-76 without seeing his son Rohan who was born while he was on tour in New Zealand.
Gavaskar saw photographs of Rohan thanks to commentator Suresh Saraiya, who carried the pictures from Mumbai.
"I remember Sunil saying during that bumper barrage in the Kingston Test that he wanted to live to see his son," said Gaekwad.
In his autobiography Sunny Days (published by Rupa & Co), Gavaskar wrote at the end of a chapter entitled Barbarism at Kingston: "Never before have I looked forward to returning home as keenly as this time.
I was literally counting days when I could get to see my son who was already two months old."
Gaekwad reckoned Gambhir's decision was a bad one because of cricket's funny ways.
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"Anything can happen in this game. When you are in form u2013 and Gambhir is in great form u2013 it is very dangerous to take a break, however small. You never know... the guy who takes your place might just score a big hundred and you'll struggle to get back," said Gaekwad.
Gambhir's place in the Mumbai Test XI will be taken by Tamil Nadu's Murali Vijay, a promising batsman who did a fine job in his only Test against Australia in Nagpur.
Coincidentally, Vijay came in because Gambhir had to serve a one-Test ban for elbowing Australia's Shane Watson in the Delhi Test of 2008.
How Gauti's great run will be halted....
Gautam Gambhir's performance in his last four Tests:
Vs New Zealand, Napier: 16 & 137. Match Drawn
Vs New Zealand, Wellington: 23 & 167. Match Drawn
Vs Sri Lanka, Ahmedabad: 1 & 114. Match Drawn
Vs Sri Lanka, Kanpur: 167. India won by an innings and 144 runs
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