Hyderabad: Former India opener Gautam Gambhir has revealed recently that he was rejected during his junior days for not bowing down to selectors.
Gambhir, a left-handed batter, has been a prolific cricketer and he often opened the innings with former India batter Virender Sehwag for the national side. The cricketer rose through the blocks with his brilliant stroke-play and got an important place in the national side.
"When I was growing up, maybe when I was 12 or 13 years old, I didn't get selected when I tried out for my first under-14 tournament because I didn't touch the selector's feet. From then I promised myself that I will never ever touch anyone's feet and I do not let anyone touch my feet,” Gambhir told star India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on his podcast 'Kutti Stories'.
Ashwin made his name as an all-rounder in the domestic circuit but when he arrived at the international stage, the off-spinner mostly contributed with his bowling and was sent in to bat in the lower order. The off-spinner has featured in 100 Tests, 116 ODIs and 65 T20Is so far and has impressed with his crafty spells.
Reflecting upon Ashwin’s international stint, Gambhir opined that he should have had the opportunity to showcase his batting skills more often while donning the Indian Jersey.
"A bit disappointed, this country hasn't seen the potential which you had with the bat, especially in white ball cricket. I remember a long time back I said this you should be playing batting for India at number five or six or probably at number four. But yes that is one thing which probably this country has missed out," Gambhir said.
The 37-year-old has notched up 5,221 runs across 156 games with an average of 28.06 while in List-A cricket he has scored 1,346 runs at a strike rate of 77.35. In the ODIs, he has amassed 707 runs from 63 innings. The veteran off-spinner has often showcased his ability to pull the team out of tough situations with a valiant knock. He has garnered 3,309 Test runs so far which include 14 half-centuries and five centuries. Also, he continues to dazzle with his spin bowling and often plays a key role in home Test series for the national side.
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