It is not the time to write off Gautam Gambhir yet. Gambhir may have had a disastrous Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018 season for Delhi Daredevils (DD) but he has been in form in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy. The Delhi skipper scored a quickfire 151 off just 104 balls against Kerala. The veteran could have easily gone for his maiden double century in List A cricket but he chose otherwise.
Seeing that the score is almost 300, Gambhir decided to walk back to the dressing room and give youngsters a chance to have a crack at the bowlers. The scorecard on bcci.tv shows ‘retired out’ instead of ‘retired hurt’ which gives clarity that Gambhir walked off the field on purpose.
The 36-year-old may not be a part of selectors’ scheme for the future or the upcoming World Cup 2019 because of competition for the spot. But Gambhir once again showed that he is not done yet. In the previous three games of the tournament, Gambhir got past the score of 40 but could not score a hundred. With this inning, his batting average in Vijay Hazare Trophy 2018 is 99.33.
Gambhir completed his century in just 74 deliveries. He also completed 31,000 runs across all formats:
Video:
Gautam Gambhir hit a boundary and got his 20th A-list #KERvDEL pic.twitter.com/pxnQRlBOav— Team Gautam Gambhir (@gautamgambhir97) September 28, 2018
आज की पार्टी मेरी तरफ़ से 31000…
151 @GautamGambhir pic.twitter.com/pzmsRPydZQ— Gaurav Arora (@gauravbir786) September 28, 2018
Here’s how fans reacted to his explosive knock:
18 fours, 4 sixes, strike rate 145.19
Open his account with a four
Complete his fifty with a four
Complete his century with a four
Now complete his 150 with a four@GautamGambhir— Nitish (@nitishsharma812) September 28, 2018
Champion for a reason
What a great knock!
1st 50 in 42 balls
2nd 50 in 32 balls
3rd 50 in 30 ballsWhile teams struggled to score 200 in front of Kerela, Captain Gautam Gambhir alone score 150!
Also, achieved a massive milestone of 31,000 runs across all formats! Congratulations Champ! #KERvDEL pic.twitter.com/HcpIQDalb8
— Team Gautam Gambhir (@gautamgambhir97) September 28, 2018
Always favouring youngsters
Gautam Gambhir retired at 151 off 104, with still 10 overs to go. This guy and his attitude towards the youngsters. Salute. #VijayHazareTrophy
— vinodh (@vinodh_mvk) September 28, 2018
31k runs (all formats)
Only three Indian cricketers have done this before @GautamGambhir
— (@Robin__bishnoi) September 28, 2018
We have already seen a double century in List A cricket from D’Arcy Short. We could have another one coming from the Delhi skipper had he continued batting till the end. Even though he did not continue to bat, Gambhir still managed to register his highest List A career score. His previous best came against Sri Lanka in 2009 when he scored an unbeaten 150.
ALSO READ: D’Arcy Short Hits Record-Breaking 23 Sixes In An ODI Game, But That’s Not The Only Record He Broke
The 36-year-old is out of the Indian side for Asia Cup 2018. He was often seen in discussions on news channels. A video of him hitting back at former Pakistan cricketer Tanvir Ahmed for calling Virat Kohli a coward went viral. However, it is more satisfying to see him do well on the field, proving to the world that he is not done yet.
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