Former chief electoral officer Sandeep Patil revealed Gautam Gambhir He has not spoken to him since the day he was dropped from the Indian team, although the two have appeared together in a few events over the years.Gambhir was a key member of India’s World Cup-winning teams in 2007 and 2011 and was one of the most influential players in the national team from 2006 to 2012. Although he last played for the national team in November 2016, the first major setback in his career came three years ago when he was left out of the ODI squad after the 2013 series against England.
Statistically speaking, Gambhir’s performance at that stage was pretty good. In his last 25 ODIs for India, the left-hander hit two centuries and six half-centuries. However, the selectors decided to move on, a decision that effectively ended his limited-overs career. He made only sporadic appearances in Test matches after that, playing two games in England and two against New Zealand in 2014 before his international tour petered out.Speaking on the Vickey Lalwani Show, Patil admitted that the decision was one of several tough ones that his selection panel had to take during this period. The former chairman explained that personal connections do not influence such decisions, even when some of the biggest names in Indian cricket are involved.“When you chair the selection committee, you are responsible for taking some big decisions. You don’t think about the friendship/rapport with the players. I have had a good relationship with Sachin since he was 14 years old. He played with me under me. Whenever I text him, he responds immediately. I met Yuvraj on a plane recently; very gracious. Even Virender Sehwag is like that. They all spoke very well to me. Except Gambhir. He was very dear to me. Even today I still have a lot of respect for him, but he was upset with me, and rightfully so. Even I was upset with the selection committee when I was eliminated. I scored 100 in Pakistan, which was the highest score in two innings against England at Kotla, but I was dropped. Never played Test cricket again,” Patil said.Gambhir’s exclusion is Shikhar Dhawanwho seized the opportunity in spectacular fashion. Dhawan made a memorable debut against Australia in Mohali, scoring a stunning 187 runs. Later, he and Rohit Sharma In ODIs and T20Is, Gambhir gradually moved away from the national scene.The southpaw continued to be active in franchise cricket, playing for Kolkata Knight Riders before ending his IPL career with Delhi Capitals. In 2018, he officially announced his retirement from all forms of cricket.Even years after making this decision, Patil admitted that Gambhir still kept his distance whenever they crossed paths.“Gambier is still frustrated. He has never spoken to me. We were together in many different shows. We sat in the same room but Gautam never even looked at me. It didn’t matter. Every time I reached out to him or said ‘hi’, he didn’t respond. Not even a glance. But that’s fair,” Patil added.Looking back on their early relationship, Patil said Gambhir used to be very close to him and kept in touch regularly, especially during the difficult phases of his career.“He was a great guy. We played tennis together on the tour; we had a very good rapport. When I was relieved of my coaching duties, Gotti called me almost every fortnight. That’s how he was. Gautam was very serious about his career and always focused on his batting and his approach. When you perform well, no cricketer wants to leave the stage. No one wants to be abandoned. Laxman, Dravid quietly left. Sehwag wanted to celebrate well but didn’t get it. So I get it. “
