5 Times Gautam Gambhir won hearts off the field

Gautam Gambhir is regarded as one of the unsung heroes of India’s triumph in T20 World Cup 2007 and 2011 World Cup. The left-hander finished as India’s top-scorer in the 2007 T20 World Cup and played a pivotal knock in the final of 2011 World Cup against Sri Lanka. After the Sachin-Sehwag duo departed early in the final of 2011 World Cup at Wankhede, Gambhir rose to the occasion and hit a crucial 97-run knock and propelled the side to the coveted trophy along with MS Dhoni.

Since breaking into the ODI side in 2003, Gambhir etched many records to his name in a decade-long career. In 147 ODIs, he mustered 5238 runs including 11 tons and 34 half-centuries. With the red ball, he amassed 4154 runs in 58 Tests at an average of 41.95. Though Gambhir’s career was marred with a few on-field spats, not many people would argue over the fact that the left-hander was quite vocal about his decisions.

Gambhir also was instrumental in steering Kolkata Knight Riders to their maiden IPL trophy. Be it on or off the field– it’s not a secret that Gambhir has hogged the attention on multiple occasions due to his bold decisions. Along with delivering impressive knocks during his career, Gambhir has also dazzled off the field on several occasions. After curtailing his cricketing career, Gambhir is plying his trade in politics and over the years, he has been successful to win hearts off the field too.

Here are five instances when Gautam Gambhir won hearts off the field:

1. Pledging to bear education expenses of children of CRPF personnel

Gambhir stepped forward during a stern situation when CRPF personnel were killed in an ambush by Maoists in Chhattisgarh in 2017. Gambhir, who was the skipper of Kolkata Knight Riders at that time, pledged to bear full expenses of the children of 25 CRPF personnel.

Gambhir was stunned after knowing about the massacre and seeing two newspaper pictures of daughters of two martyred CRPF personnel compelled the left-handed batsman to take this step. Furthermore, his side KKR also wore black armbands in their game against Rising Pune Supergiant as a mark of respect. This move of Gambhir earned him respect and praise from all across the globe.

“The Gautam Gambhir Foundation will take care of the entire education expenses of the children of these martyrs. My team has already started work on this,” said the former India international post the incident. Moreover, after the IPL match, Gambhir also stated that it was very hard for him to concentrate on the match after knowing about the incident.

2. Donating 2 years’ salary to PM-CARES Fund

At a time when the coronavirus has taken a toll on every country across the world, Gambhir stepped up on the occasion and vowed to contribute 2 years’ salary in the wake of the pandemic.

India has also been grappling with the wrath of coronavirus and the situation is stern across the country. Amid these trying times, many cricketers have stepped forward and donated to aid in the battle against the pandemic. During this situation, BJP’s Lok Sabha member Gambhir announced to contribute his two years’ salary as an MP to the Prime Minister-CARES Relief Fund.

The pandemic has already led to more than 100 deaths in the country and the situation is getting worse with every passing day. Moreover, Gambhir also announced on Twitter to donate INR 1 Cr in the wake of coronavirus outbreak and he also urged CM Arvind Kejriwal to arrange adequate PPE kits to battle the life-threatening virus.

3. Pledging to donate organs

In a move by which Gambhir won several hearts across the nation, he pledged to donate his organs to a Delhi hospital after his death. In 2011, the left-hander stated that organ donation was not very common in India as compared to other nations like the US and the UK. Hence, he decided to take this step along with appealing everyone to do so along with his teammates.

Gambhir said that thousands of individuals die every year and the move of donating organs would serve as ‘Gift of Life’. Gambhir, who was at the peak of his career at that time, gained much respect from his fans after his brave decision.

According to Gambhir, in a country where more than two lakh individuals require transplants each year, his move of donating organs would be instrumental in tackling this issue. Gambhir’s decision is considered one-of-a-kind as not many eminent personalities have taken such a bold step yet.

4. Supporting transgender community

In a country where the concept of transgenders is regarded as shrewd, Gautam Gambhir rose to the occasion in support of them. He broke all the stereotypes by donning a bindi and a dupatta to show solidarity.

Gambhir extended his support to the Supreme Court‘s path-breaking landmark verdict reading down Section 377, which was criminalising homosexuality. At the event, Gambhir said that he was very happy with the scrapping of Section 377.

Gambhir also urged everyone to accept the community as the way they are. He also pointed out that the country can’t move forward without involving anyone and hence, they should be treated with dignity and respect.

5. Helping a Pakistani child to get Indian visa for heart treatment

Gautam Gambhir has been quite vocal about India-Pakistan relations and he has censured the neighbours on several occasions. However, Gambhir won the hearts of people from both the countries when he helped a Pakistani child to get an Indian visa for her heart treatment.

Gambhir had written a letter to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and stated about the Pakistan family who wanted to bring their daughter to India for heart surgery.

Following Gambhir’s letter, S Jaishankar asked the Indian High Commission in Islamabad to issue visas to the girl and her parents so that she could travel to India. Gambhir also thanked the Minister for granting the visa for the child’s heart surgery and he won hearts and respect from citizens across both nations.