Gautam Gambhir isn’t earning much praise

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When Gautam Gambhir twatted his head on the deck

Banging his head two days earlier compelled Gautam Gambhir to send out a morningwatchman. The consensus seems to be that he’s a bit soft. Maybe he is still concussed, maybe he’s genuinely not fit to bat, but he might have stood a better chance of people believing that if he hadn’t already missed a Test this series with a bruised elbow.

We’re currently typing this with what is likely to be a fractured finger. We’re soldiering on despite the fact that precisely no-one is counting on us. For his part, Gambhir must be aware that one or two people would like India to do well.

Test cricket is rarely about the stars aligning so that you can bat exactly as you want. Test cricket is about trying to prevent some arsehole from breaking another of your ribs when the pitch is lumpy and torn to shreds and your team is 400 behind. Great batsmen score runs in that situation.

Gambhir is not a great player. A great player carried out the complex oral manoeuvre of biting his tongue while simultaneously gritting his teeth when asked to open in his place.

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13 comments

  1. Maybe he banged his head on the wall of the dressing room too many times trying to forget that dropped catch

  2. A concussion is a severe medical issue which, when not properly treated, can leave a person with permanent brain damage.

    Much as KC seems to have suffered.

    GG would be well within his rights to tell you to go york yourself.

    1. As we said, maybe he is concussed, maybe he is unfit to bat. India described it as ‘mild concussion’ and therefore it’s open to debate how ‘mild’ it was.

      What we’re saying is that his past record encourages the perception that it might be the milder side of mild.

  3. And after dravid carries his bat all day, while Gambhir scratches together 10, ol’ softie goes down the order again…

  4. It wasn’t clear to mere onlookers whether the greater injury was to Gambhir’s brain tissues or his self-esteem, from dropping a fairly simple catch in such a comprehensive way. If he was actually concussed, with continuing neurological effects, he shouldn’t really have batted at all, even in a helmet, and the story is that his preparatory net was hopeless. So my guess is he has actually displayed more courage than sense (contrary to general opinion).

  5. Eoin Morgan needing a nightwatchman on day 2 is okay with most people, but Gambhir who seemed to genuinely struggle while coming later into bat seems to raise your hackles.

    1. Morgan shouldn’t have been using a night watchman either. If Gambhir was concussed, he shouldn’t have even been coming out to bat.

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