Proved it!

Just a day back India A coach Sandeep Patil, talking to this paper on the success of his boys at the top level, had just one regret. ‘‘Gambhir should be given a chance, I will say, he is more aggressive than even Dhoni,’’ he had insisted.

Comparing the two by balls faced and strokes hit would amount to hair-splitting, but today Gambhir showed he has the finesse and the fizz. In case one of the regular openers has fitness or form worries, he can easily step in.

As Gambhir stepped into Sachin Tendulkar’s shoes to open the Indian innings, next to him was his old mate Virender Sehwag, but in front was unknown territory. Add to that the disappointment of the Motera crowd that expected Tendulkar to walk in.

Having played just five ODIs — that too two years back — it was finally on to the 22-yard strip. And with the selectors assembled at Motera with the ’all ok’ medical certificates of Mohammad Kaif and Sourav Ganguly with them, Gambhir had to deliver, and deliver now.

He started with a square cut and a carpet extra cover drive off Fernando and later hit shots that require great technique to overcome the degree of difficulty. He cut Muralitharan off the backfoot and pulled the 135 mph-plus Fernando over mid-wicket.

It’s the pull that has been a feature of Gambhir’s batting since his early days. At the Bangalore camp when Gambhir was asked if he was a ’compulsive puller’ he didn’t quite wholeheartedly agree. ‘‘It depends on the ball. I’ve been a positive player all my life and in case the ball is there to be hit, I will hit,’’ he had said.

Today when on 94, Fernando bowled a short ball to unsettle Gambhir. It was in the slot and Gambhir pulled — he eventually top-edged and got a four, but it confirmed that India had another natural stroke-player who wouldn’t let pressure or stats affect his style.

That is another addition to Team India’s bench strength with unquestionable temperament. Raina, Dhoni and Venu had showed that they had the right stuff in the earlier games, today it was Gambhir’s turn to showcase his talent.

But this isn’t a flash in the pan, as even before the series started Gambhir seemed determined to fit into the one-day squad. At the camp he would be seen having long talks with Tendulkar and Yuvraj.

Ask him about these long conversations and he would tell how Yuvraj gave the left-handers’ point of view in dealing with the Sri Lankans. As of Tendulkar, it was all about opening the innings. Gambhir sounded highly obliged when he talked about the advice that Tendulkar gave him.

Today at Motera Tendulkar did him another favour. By opting to rest, Gambhir got a chance to implement what he had learnt from his seniors.