Gautam Gambhir all set for the final cricket match of his career
One of the biggest names to ever don the Delhi jersey, Gambhir will be retiring from his spiritual home, the Feroz Shah Kotla, amidst an outpouring of emotion on social media, where he enjoys a sizeable following.
@GautamGambhir Thank u for the love & leadership my Captain.U r a special man and may Allah always keep & happy…& u should smile a bit more
— Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) December 4, 2018
Gautam Gambhir’s final appearance in competitive cricket will add an emotional overtone to an otherwise normal Ranji Trophy group league encounter between a depleted Delhi and Andhra starting here from Thursday.
Sorry to see @GautamGambhir retire from all cricket. He’s one of our most under-appreciated batsmen, an intelligent &thoughtful captain whose accomplishments as a cricketer deserved more applause. &His retirement statement is the best I’ve seen! https://t.co/oPTnnvxOix
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) December 5, 2018
One of the biggest names to ever don the Delhi jersey, Gambhir will be retiring from his spiritual home, the Feroz Shah Kotla, amidst an outpouring of emotion on social media, where he enjoys a sizeable following.
One of Indias best has bid farewell to the game, @GautamGambhir you have been inspirational to me and many others over the years and now I am sure is the beginning of even better things from you. #gautithefighter #GautamGambhirRetires
— Ashwin Ravichandran (@ashwinravi99) December 5, 2018
However, Delhi would have ideally liked the veteran left-hander to at least complete the season but having understood that a good IPL deal is a long shot, Gambhir did what any player who has played a bit of international cricket would do — retire with minimum fuss.
You had a wonderful career @GautamGambhir, one that you can be genuinely proud of. You played a big part in two of the biggest moments in Indian cricket, you were among the best in test cricket at your peak and you will have a page in the IPL. Few get that from this game. Go well
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) December 4, 2018
With regular captain Nitish Rana and the talented Himmat Singh away on national duty (with Emerging India squad), Gambhir’s experience was much more required at this stage where a couple of bad matches will put Delhi out of knock-out contention.
Gambhir will be the star attraction even as home team coach Mithun Manhas plans to hand three debuts.
Congratulations on ur wonderful career @GautamGambhir bhai.I hav had lots of learning experiences playing alongside u.Thanks 4 ur guidance.U hav played ur cricket like a warrior. Thank u 4 so many lovely memories which u gave 2 all of us. Best wishes for ur future endeavours 👍👊 pic.twitter.com/4Uh6vsx6Dv
— MANOJ TIWARY (@tiwarymanoj) December 4, 2018
One of them is U-23 captain Jonty Sidhu, whose senior team debut has been much anticipated after a string of good shows at the U-19 and U-23 level.
A former U-19 India captain, the lanky left-hander Jonty is also a brilliant fielder and will replace skipper Rana in the playing XI as Dhruv Shorey leads the side.
Congratulations mate. Respect…always. And love this video. Enjoy the next chapter. @GautamGambhir https://t.co/VnaVyJRNBw
— Adam Gilchrist (@gilly381) December 5, 2018
The other debutant could be left-arm spinner Shivank Fascist while veteran Vaibhav Rawal may come in place of Himmat.
As i pass the Wankhede this morning cant help but think back to the @GautamGambhir innings in the world cup final. 2 down with Sachin and Viru out GG held firm for India. Terrific career buddy and hope your second innings is as good. See you soon.
— Boria Majumdar (@BoriaMajumdar) December 5, 2018
The three players out of the 15 are Sarthak Ranjan, Kunwar Bodhi, both of whom failed in the last game, along with left-arm spinner Varun Sood.
#Gautamgambhir
Thanku for your sacrifices and achievement towards our country and your dedication and memorable Performances. Its not so good to hear about your retirement 😣 but our Nation always miss your aggression and performance ♥️😊#Lavishahmad pic.twitter.com/1a2jhaf1af— Lavish Ahmad (@LavishAhmad) December 6, 2018
Sir, You are an inspiration and always will.💙 @GautamGambhir hope you will like my this small gesture. #ProudIndian #BleedBlue pic.twitter.com/3uZ8ITqzLI
— Akanksha Sharma (@WriterAkanksha) December 6, 2018
👉Gautam gambhir carriers
So its my favourite player❤ pic.twitter.com/fSm2ZLm8Qj— Jitendra Kumar Singh (@Skjitendra1202) December 5, 2018
When a cricketer farewell to his Cricket life, all the fans are disappointed and sad.
Best of luck #Gautam Gambhir#and
Sachin Tendulkar @# pic.twitter.com/P5WdMrN0pp— Hiru Khan (@HiruKhan5) December 5, 2018
Today is the sad day 🙏Because great cricketer Gautam Gambhir Retired from the cricket 🇮🇳.We salut you🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/MKa6NCJOQ1
— Brijesh Todwal (@BTodwal) December 5, 2018
You can retire from cricket but you can never retire from the millions of hearts you’ve won for fighting for our beloved India both on and off the field.
Gambhir played 58 Tests, 147 ODIs and 37 T20Is for India..#GautamGambhir #Cricket #INDvAUS #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/Xt0y8wlqVg
— सत्या 🇮🇳 (@satyamurti_) December 4, 2018
T20 World cup 2007 Final 75(54) & ODI World Cup 2011 Final 97(122) says everything.#GautamGambhirRetires #GautamGambhir pic.twitter.com/67wOwozJBX
— Parvez_Velani (@parvez_velani) December 5, 2018