Gambhir has not played a Test since April but suddenly found himself top of the pops in mid-July, and just as suddenly lost it to Kumar Sangakkara -- having still not played a match. That said, his rise to eminence in the cricket world still makes for one of the more fascinating stories of recent times. Two years ago, he was only a fringe player; today he is ranked No.2, which is a terrific climb by any reckoning.
I have seen Gambhir intermittently over the past 7-8 years and have been impressed by his intelligence and attitude. Cricket, more than any other sport, is played first in the mind before it is played in the field, and unless a player's mental approach is correct, he is unlikely to succeed.
In an interview to DNA recently, Sunil Gavaskar came up with a surprising and interesting take on what is the biggest determinant for success at the game. "It is not so much technique or talent, but temperament which marks out a great player from an ordinary one," he said.
That's remarkable opinion from someone whose legendary technique is supposed to have got him 10,122 runs and 34 Test hundreds.
But Gavaskar's explanation is highly credible. "You may have great talent or technique, but if you don't have the temperament to exploit this, you will not actualise your potential."
Recent Indian cricket history throws up a couple of interesting examples. Vinod Kambli, for instance, was a gifted player, but squandered his talent because he didn't have the mental discipline to match. In a totally contrasting way, the technically brilliant Sanjay Manjrekar lost his place in the national team because of excessive caution. India, therefore, lost two terrific batsmen.
Gambhir, happily, has shown the dedication and mental toughness to go with his talent. He is a quick learner, which is evident from the manner in which he has adapted quickly to all kinds of pitches and conditions. Most importantly, he has the good sense and ability to switch from attack to defence, depending on the situation.
Apart from MS Dhoni and Viru Sehwag, he is perhaps the only Indian player who would be an automatic selection for Tests, ODIs and T20 matches, which is fine achievement for a young man. But being No.1 in the ICC ranking, Gambhir would know, does not necessarily mean being the greatest batsman in the game. Such rankings are usually indicative while the truth could be something else.
In my reckoning, on current form, Sangakkara would be the best all-round batsman, with the destructive Viru Sehwag, Kevin Pietersen, Graeme Smith, AB de Villiers, Michael Clarke, Younus Khan and Mahela Jayawardene not much behind. I am not including perennial stalwarts like Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, Jacques Kallis and Rahul Dravid in this because they have moved beyond such rankings through sustained excellence over sheer length of time.
Indeed, these are the guys Gambhir should be looking to emulate. At 28, he is probably only approaching his peak, so one can expect him to improve from here, which could make him one of the outstanding batsmen of his generation. But that again is a big leap which will require greater dedication, motivation and mental toughness.
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