Gautam Gambhir’s place in Indian test side looks vulnerable

Indian team for upcoming 4 match test series against England has been announced. By selecting 4 openers in the 15 member squad, Indian selectors are sending strong warning signals for the opening duo of Sehwag and Gambhir. Especially, the place of Gautam Gambhir is under considerable threat.

Here are some of the reasons why Gautam Gambhir could be dropped if he does not performed in first two test matches

1.      Lack of batting form:

Gambhir is struggling to make runs at test level for considerable time. His last test hundred came in January 2010 which is about 34 months ago. His test batting averages were 2010 - 32.75, 2011 - 31.33 and 2012 - 24.77 spanning over 23 test matches.

With players like Rahane whose first class average is 63 sitting on the bench, Gambhir’s days are certainly counted as Indian test opener unless Gambhir plays few magical knocks.

2.      Poor away record:

Gambhir’s test batting record in counties such as England (average of 17 in 3 tests) and Australia (22.62 in 4) is not good. Also, out of 9 test hundred he scored 7 are in sub-continent and other 2 are in New Zealand against considerably weaker opposition. The fact that Gambhir is yet to score as test hundred in England, Australia, South Africa and West Indies in spite playing 50 tests spanning over 8 years says lot of things. Gautam Gambhir is an opener, hence scoring centuries or to play longer innings is primary evaluation criteria.

3.      Bad chaser:

Gambhir’s batting average in 1^st and 3^rd innings is 51 and 49.86, respectively with all of his 9 centuries scored. While averages in 2^nd (38.14) and 4^th (35.00) are significantly lower with no test hundred. This clearly shows that Gambhir has unable to bat well when put under pressure by opposition with score on the board.

4.      Age and Competition:

Gautam Gambhir has already crossed 31 years. As a result, age is certainly not on his side. Moreover, younger players like Rahane, Dhawan and Murali Vijay are knocking doors. This coupled with fact that Gambhir’s relationship with Captain Dhoni always had some “sparks” could make life difficult for the Delhi southpaw.