Over the past year, Gambhir has proved indispensable to the Indian team. Just recently after India’s series against New Zealand where he scored a series-topping 445 runs, Virender Sehwag hailed him as India’s greatest opener after Gavaskar. Sehwag had said, "Just see how he kept adapting. I can't think of anyone better than Gambhir in terms of technique, temperament and style. To me, he is the best opener India has had since Gavaskar.

"Gambhir is the only opener I have known who is at ease in any form of the game. Gavaskar was a great opener in Tests and one-dayers and Gambhir has adapted wonderfully to the T20 format too. He is just too good," Sehwag had told The Hindu.

Gambhir’s marathon 643-minute match-saving 137 in Napier 167 in Wellington then got him to the fourth place in the ICC rankings.

Chanderpaul’s no-show in the two match test series against England saw him slip from a joint second position to the 4th place, leaving the 3rd place vacant for Gambhir to step into. The first place is still held by Pakistan’s Younis Khan, and Sachin Tendulkar, V.V.S. Laxman and Virender Sehwag hold the 13th, 15th and 20th place respectively.

Among the bowlers, Harbhajan Singh is the highest ranking Indian at the 6th place, followed by Zaheer Khan at the 11th place, and Ishant Sharma who has just broken into the top 20. The list is topped by Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan.

But Gambhir believes that he won’t stop here. While playing for a team like India, there is no space for lethargy and stagnation. One has to keep playing and working hard to stay in the race. There is so much talent in the country that if you lose your place in the national team once, it is difficult to regain it and the momentum again.

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3.25 Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."

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