When former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir joined the Bharatiya Janata Party Friday, he left people how present India captain Virat Kohli usually does after his knocks: not surprised with the outcome.
And similar to how Virat Kohli has honed his batting skills to score centuries at will, Gautam Gambhir too spent months on Twitter being the confrontational nationalist, learning the art of ‘giving it back’ that will likely come handy in his new stint.
Come on @OmarAbdullah you shouldn’t talk about maps, you are hell bent in changing the map of my country by talking Kashmir to Pakistan! Stroll out of that ivory tower and explain what u or ur fellow politicians have done to engage the Kashmiri youth @BJP4India @INCIndia
— Gautam Gambhir (@GautamGambhir) October 12, 2018
Indian Army ने यह जंग भी शुरू नहीं करी but they will bloody well finish it and I am with them emotion-to-emotion, shoulder-to-shoulder.
— Gautam Gambhir (@GautamGambhir) February 17, 2019
In the past few months, Gautam Gambhir had made his choice about the political party – the BJP – an entirely foregone conclusion, being vocal on public platforms (predominantly on Twitter) about his political and ideological leanings. From joining the war cry against Pakistan after the Pulwama attack to posting a letter of appreciation from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his retirement, or publicly criticising Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for his dharnas and Aam Aadmi Party’s advertisements in newspapers – Gautam Gambhir did it all.
Thanks @narendramodi @PMOIndia for the kind words. Nothing of this would have been possible without love and support of our fellow countrymen. All these deeds are dedicated to our country. pic.twitter.com/3P3HcViIJ5
— Gautam Gambhir (@GautamGambhir) December 16, 2018
Today’s newspapers seemed to me a “Mall Of Kejriwal” with @AamAadmiParty advertisements splashed all over. Is this the taxpayer’s money being splurged callously? Can someone from his office or @AamAadmiParty explain? And we thought CM didn’t have money to contest elections!!! pic.twitter.com/gJig0F06yu
— Gautam Gambhir (@GautamGambhir) February 23, 2019
This outspokenness, unwarranted or otherwise, on issues that matter to him, however mixes seamlessly with another facet of his character – one that is reserved and private. When asked about this apparent character duality in a cricinfo interview, Gambhir answered, “I can be the quietest person off the field and I can be the most aggressive person on the cricket field. There are these two faces that I have, the reason is completely different. I like being aggressive on the cricket field because I haven’t gotten anything so easily, I had to fight for everything when it comes to my profession.”
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This seemingly contradictory nature is evident not just in his personality but is mirrored in his cricketing style and journey as well. He can play an almost 11-hour blockathon in Napier to secure a Test match draw for India against New Zealand. And he can also just as easily lose control and poke at deliveries outside the off-stump for innings in succession.
Gambhir had a largely unsuccessful start to his international career. And a similar end as well. In between, however, highlighting the contradiction, came a period when he emerged as one of India’s finest, if not the best, batsmen. An ODI debut in 2003, and test debut in 2004, yielded only limited returns, that too either at home or against comparatively weaker oppositions of the time like Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. Fortunes shifted dramatically, though, from the 2007 T20 World Cup, where he was India’s top-scorer in the final against Pakistan, scoring 75 runs and ultimately proving to be the defining cause in India’s victory.
That performance against Pakistan set off a golden run, which lasted until before India’s 2011 tour of England. During this period, he scored a half-century in 11 consecutive test matches, a century in five consecutive tests, became both the number one ranked batsman in ICC Test rankings and the ICC Test player of the year in 2009, and once again turned up to rescue India in a match as big as any could get — the 2011 World Cup final against Sri Lanka. Gambhir notched up a score of 97, paving way for India’s victory, which was ultimately sealed by then captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s belter of an innings.
But everything changed thereafter. Gambhir, who had enjoyed the highest of highs personally in the team’s ascendency to number one in Test cricket and India’s lifting of the 2011 World Cup, now suddenly found himself hitting an individual nadir in India’s 4-0 whitewashes in England and Australia. In 14 innings on these two tours, he crossed 50 only once. After a couple of drops and comebacks, the last of which was in 2016, Gambhir entered a phase where he would agonizingly wait for a call from the Indian selectors. The call never came. What came instead, in December 2018, was Gambhir’s announcement of his retirement. That declaration, just in the nick of time to begin his political innings, gave an insight into the frustration and angst that he had been keeping within himself.
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“The thought has been with me day and night. It has travelled with me on flights like an irritable excess baggage, it has accompanied me to practice sessions, mocking at me like a menacing bowler. On certain other days, it has made my dinner taste horrible,” Gautam Gambhir wrote.
From thereupon, he poured all that angst on his Twitter timeline, drawing attention instead of the BJP selectors, and becoming a likely contender for the party’s membership in the process.
So what does this political entry mean for Gambhir, and the party he has joined? As per early reports, he may be fielded by the party from one of Delhi’s seven constituencies. If this happens, then unlike cricket where things may not have come easily to Gambhir, the trajectory in politics could be different. This time, Gambhir would have simply charged down the crease to hit a six, albeit on a placid wicket given the BJP’s present dominance in the region.
And since India’s once favourite opener, ‘Gauti’, never shies away from learning – a prerequisite trait in politics, and evident from multiple comebacks in Gambhir’s case – he might be in it for the long haul.
For the BJP, Gautam Gambhir’s inclusion in its ranks, at the very least, brings good publicity, less than three weeks before the general elections, which has been described as one of the most crucial in India’s independent history. Whether or not the saffron party has timed this to perfection, like its new entrant’s many classical cricketing shots, will be known on May 23.