Now the identity of Gautam Gambhir has changed. After 2007 and 2011 world champion, BJP leader and Lok Sabha MP, Gambhir has now become the head coach of Team India. The aggressiveness with which young Gambhir used to play on the field as a player is now visible in his coaching style too. The life of Gambhir, who made headlines for his sharp attitude, never-say-die fighting behavior and nationalist statements, is an open book. Let us look at some selected stories from his life.
Heated debate with Virat Kohli
Who can forget this scene? The sixth season of IPL was played in the year 2013 i.e. 11 years ago. At that time, Gautam Gambhir used to captain Kolkata Knight Riders and Virat Kohli used to command Royal Challengers Bangalore. When Virat Kohli was returning to the pavilion after getting out, at some point he started arguing with Gautam Gambhir. The whole team had to come to intervene and then the matter was calmed down.
Shahid Afridi was elbowed
There is no need to tell how hot the atmosphere on the field will be when the teams of India and Pakistan face each other on the field. In 2007, arch rival Pakistani team was on India tour. The third ODI was played in Kanpur, which India won by 46 runs. There was a heated argument between Gambhir and Afridi in this match. While stealing a run, Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi stood in the middle to block Gambhir’s path, after which the Indian cricketer elbowed Afridi while running away. The altercation between the two escalated to such an extent that the umpires had to intervene.
death threats
The matter is of the year 2015. Delhi and Bengal faced each other in a domestic cricket tournament at Delhi’s Ferozeshah Kotla Stadium (today’s Arun Jaitley Stadium). Gautam Gambhir was captaining Delhi while Manoj Tiwari was captaining Bengal. During the match, the dispute between the two giants on some issue became so deep that it led to a scuffle. Then Gautam had threatened Manoj and said that ‘I will meet you in the evening and will kill you’. In response to this, Manoj also said, ‘Should we go out now in the evening?’
‘Kinnar’ created for social message
In September 2018, Gautam Gambhir stood up for the third gender i.e. Kinnar community. She had tried to give the best social message by wearing a bindi and scarf on her forehead in the inauguration ceremony of Hijra Habba, a program of the transgender community, which is a victim of neglect and discrimination in the society. The eunuchs themselves had helped him to symbolically assume the form of eunuchs.
One-time MP again retires from politics
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Bharatiya Janata Party had made Gautam Gambhir its candidate from East Delhi. Gambhir had then entered Parliament defeating Aam Aadmi Party’s Atishi and Congress’s Arvinder Singh Lovely, but before the 2024 general elections, he announced his retirement from politics. It was believed that this time BJP’s Gautam Gambhir’s ticket may be cut from East Delhi. Gautam Gambhir has withdrawn his name even before the list came out.