Gautam Gambhir squashed rumours of him joining politics. (Express Photo By Amit Mehra)Former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir’s last competitive cricket match came to an end on Sunday. Playing in his farewell match, Gambhir scored his 43rd First-Class hundred. However, it wasn’t enough to earn Delhi an outright win over Andhra Pradesh as they had to settle for a draw. So what’s next for double G? “Don’t know actually whether I will be good at anything else. But whatever I do has to be with the same passion,” Gambhir said after the match. But one thing that he is clear about is to serve the game of cricket and especially the youngsters who are dreaming of making it big. “If given a position I will try to be honest and help the boys. They need a lot of good things in DDCA and hopefully, I can put that word across to the executive committee and get those things done from a cricket point of view.”
#GautamGambhir farewell speech pic.twitter.com/29nuRJy01J
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When asked if he would like to take up a role as an administrator in the BCCI in his second innings, Gambhir said, “I am too straightforward a person to be in administration. I don’t think people will accept me anywhere.” But coaching is something he is open to pursuing.
“One thing which excites me is action and I am sure that action is not there when you sit in those air-conditioned rooms and doing commentary. I do not know whether I will be as good a coach as I have been a player. So that is something which I have to evaluate. I will miss being a part of the action so let’s see what’s in store. If I feel that I have the energy and passion and commitment then I will probably think about it,” said the 37-year-old.
Gambhir squashed rumours of him throwing his hat in the fray for the upcoming general elections. “Probably they stem from the fact that I speak on social issues and for me, Twitter will always be an important platform from where I can highlight social issues. Being a citizen of this country it is my right to take up social issues and that probably is the reason why people think I am going to join politics but there is nothing of that sort. It is a different field altogether,” Gambhir explained.
He may have scored a typically gritty hundred in his last innings but Gambhir wasn’t entirely happy with the way the match went. (PTI Photo)He may have scored a typically gritty hundred in his last innings but Gambhir wasn’t entirely happy with the way the match went. “I actually would have like if Delhi could have taken all three points. That is why you play cricket. Individual stats don’t matter,” he said. He didn’t come out to field on Sunday and by default didn’t bat during Delhi’s second innings. that Meanwhile, the southpaw wasn’t entirely satisfied as Delhi failed to chase down a target of 88 to win in the fourth innings. Delhi were 44/2 when bad light stopped play. Interestingly, Gambhir did not come bat out after remaining absent from the field throughout the entire day. That was because his kit bag was completely empty after he had given away all its contents to his team-mates yesterday. “Given the match situation, I really didn’t think we would come out to bat for the second time,” Gambhir said. Reflecting on his farewell match, Gambhir spoke with a tinge a regret and said,
