Gautam Gambhir has earned his stripes as a swashbuckling opener but the left-hander is happy to drop down the order to pave way for Sachin Tendulkar in India’s one-day line-up.
Gambhir partners his Delhi teammate Virender Sehwag both in Test and Twenty20 but has to bat down the order in ODIs when Tendulkar comes at the top.
Instead of sulking, Gambhir said he had no issues with it.
“When you have two of world’s best openers, you don’t think about that. With two legends of the game opening, you have to give them the honour. They have a great record together and I’m happy playing down the order,” Gambhir said.
“I’m happy playing at whatever position I’m offered. Slot doesn’t matter. What really matters is how much you contribute. I’m happy while opening. Even when I’m not, I want to contribute as much as possible for the team,” he said.
In fact, so impressive was Gambhir at the top that Sehwag called him the best Indian opener since Sunil Gavaskar. “It’s a big compliment, coming from Sehwag but I think I have a long way to go. It’s important for me to do consistently well,” said the reticent player, who is ranked number one Test batsman in ICC rankings.
