Gautam Gambhir walks into retirement with splendid farewell ton
What's the story
Gautam Gambhir scored a splendid century in the final game of his career. The veteran southpaw struck 112 for Delhi in the ongoing Ranji Trophy, Round 5, Elite Group B on Saturday against Andhra Pradesh. Gambhir had recently called it quits from all forms of cricket on December 4. He said that the noise of 'It's over Gauti' made him take the decision.
Century
Gambhir slams 43rd first-class ton
Gambhir played his last competitive game of his career and struck a well crafted 43rd first-class hundred. He resumed his innings on an overnight score of 92 and then went on to add 20 runs on Day 3 of the match at the Kotla. He hit a boundary to get to 98 and then a brace saw him register triple digit numbers.
Farewell
A fitting farewell for Gambhir at Kotla
Andhra's left-arm spinner Manish Golamaru kept troubling Gambhir and he finally got the veteran's wicket after the latter edged a ball to the keeper. There were some fans at the Feroz Shah Kotla and banners of ' Thank You Gauti' were seen beside the New Pavilion. It was indeed a fitting farewell for the Delhi cricketer, who bows out as a legend.
Data
Delhi vs Andhra match likely to end in a draw
Andhra scored a commendable 390 on a flat Kotla pitch in the first innings. Ricky Bhui stood out with a commanding 187-run knock. Delhi have gone past the 300-run mark in their first innings. The match is likely to be drawn.
Domestic cricket
Gambhir ends first-class journey with 15,153 runs
Gambhir went on to feature in 198 first-class matches including the one against Andhra. He amassed a total of 15,153 runs with 43 hundreds to his name. Gambhir also hit a total of 68 fifties to end his career on a high. The 37-year-old scored a massive 10,077 runs in List A cricket. He smashed 21 hundreds and 60 fifties.
Gambhir
A look at Gambhir's feats for Team India
The most significant achievement of his career was winning the 2011 ICC World Cup at home. In his career with the Men In Blue, he played 58 Tests, 147 ODIs and 37 T20Is. He scored 4,154 runs in Tests at an average of 41.95. In ODIs, Gambhir amassed 5,238 runs at an average of 39.68. He hit 20 tons across these two formats.
Twitter Post
Gambhir's special moments
#GautamGambhir to retire from cricket #WT20 final 2007 - 75 - Highest score of the match#CWC final 2011 at Mumbai: made 97 - highest score for India in the match
— NewsBytes (@NewsBytesApp) December 4, 2018
2007: ICC #1 T20I batsman
2009: ICC #1 Test batsman #ThankyouGauti
Our take
Why did Gambhir decide to retire from cricket?
Gambhir always had an undying spirit which reflected in his eyes when the team was in dire straits. One can only assume that the decision came after a lot of contemplation. Gambhir must have realized that scripting an international comeback was becoming next to impossible. After enduring a poor IPL 12, he understood that his days at the highest level were nearing an end.