A fighter who hates to lose

It was bit amusing when I came to know that Gautam Gambhir wanted to be a fast bowler

It was bit amusing when I came to know that Gautam Gambhir wanted to be a fast bowler. He was a little kid in the formidable Modern School Barakhamba team,looking even younger than his age,and yet fancied himself reversing the ball an art practiced exclusively by the Pakistanis then. Fortunately for India,he soon realised his true potential and decided to concentrate on his batting.

I have seen Gautam from very close quarters: first as an opponent being a fast bowler from a rival school; then as a team mate in the Delhi under-16 side; as a friend and as a journalist 8211; my last association earning me many a byline.

A fierce competitor,he hates nothing more than losing. And because of that Gautam is always keen on improving as a player. Ive seen him evolving from someone with a weakness to play away from his body to a complete batsman who has won India two World Cups now.

Also he never shied away from hard work,and I can say that because I have seen and bowled at him,as he batted relentlessly at the nets. His game improved vastly when he graduated from school to club cricket. But it was his Ranji stint with Bishen Singh Bedi as coach that changed his image from just an attacking batsman to someone who could score big hundreds when it mattered.

Gauti is also a very emotional person,and till a few years back it was affecting him. He made his debut back in 2003 and in the next four years played just 18 games. I remember telling him the selectors were planning to leave him out of the 2007 World Cup squad if he did not perform in one ODI match against the West Indies in Cuttack. He didnt and eventually missed out on a berth. He was so heart broken that he didnt even touch the bat for about a month.

Better sense prevailed and he started all over again. Sure enough,things started falling in place. Later that year,in England he again experienced a slight dip in form and he told me how people were advising him to be slightly selfish and play one innings for himself. What do you think, he asked me. Fair enough, I replied. He said: If I have to be selfish,I might as well take up my dads business. Theres no way I am going to do something at my teams expense. I had no answer.

Gautam later revealed that Dhoni,who was the vice-captain on that tour and was to lead the team in the World T20,has chatted with him about his future,before the tournament in South Africa. Dhoni assured him that he would play all the games and Gauti,batting with abandon,repaid his captains faith by becoming the highest run-getter in that tournament. It was the beginning of a great bonding.

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In 2005 I went out for a coffee with him and his biggest worry was that he didnt get noticed by fans. In 2008,when he went for a haircut,he was shocked to find there were 28 cameras 8211; and he counted them 8211; waiting to get a glimpse of him. He was finally getting the attention he deserved.

Always a hard-worker,Gauti,despite a hectic schedule,turns out for his club whenever he gets a chance. Immediately after India crashed out of the World T20 in West indies last year,he came to Delhi to play a hot weather event when when everyone else,having playing non-stop cricket for three months,wanted rest. If I work that hard,I should also get the runs. Simple, he said.

Writer has played cricket with the Indian batsman