Gautam Gambhir picks Saeed Ajmal as the toughest Pakistan bowler he faced in his career

The hero of India’s 2007 World T20 and 2011 World Cup triumphs, the man who played a crucial role in both the finals, Gautam Gambhir is severely underrated for his contributions to the Indian cricket. He is one of the elegant left-handed openers to ever play for India. He played 58 Tests, 147 ODIs, and 37 T20Is for India, racking up 4154, 5238, and 932 runs in the three formats respectively. He was the only Indian and one of four international cricketers to have scored hundreds in five consecutive Test matches.

The former Indian opener relished some enduring on-field battles with some of the best bowlers of his time throughout his international career. India-Pakistan matches are known for its own rivalry and were generally intense and Gambhir, who was a fierce competitor shared some heated moments with several Pakistani players during his untarnished career.

Gautam Gambhir found it tough to face Saeed Ajmal

Recently on the Star Sports show Cricket Connected, Gautam Gambhir and VVS Laxman spoke about their greatest rivalries with Pakistani cricketers. On being asked which Pakistan player they enjoyed battling against the most, VVS Laxman opted for Shoaib Akhtar mentioning that he was probably the quickest bowler at that time along with Brett Lee.

On the other hand, Gautam Gambhir named the former Pakistan off-spinner Saeed Ajmal as facing him is one battle that he thoroughly enjoyed the most. He mentioned that it was very difficult to pick his Doosra under lights. “One battle which I thoroughly enjoyed was against Saeed Ajmal. Because Ajmal was probably one of the toughest off-spinners I have faced, especially under lights as we couldn’t pick his Doosra. And the speed with which he used to bowl at, he was very very lethal,” the combative leftie confessed.

When asked about the Pakistan player with whom he fancied having a verbal duel, Gautam Gambhir has said that ‘the whole world knows it already’, While not naming Shahid Afridi directly, Gautam Gambhir added that he loved his exchanges with the former Pakistan all-rounder. “The world knows about that. I absolutely loved it and even now.” Gambhir had recently wished a speedy recovery for Afridi after the former Pakistan all-rounder confirmed that he tested positive for COVID-19.

Gambhir announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on 3rd December 2018, ahead of playing his final match for the Delhi cricket team in the Ranji Trophy on 6 December 2018. He began his new innings as a parliamentarian as he took oath as the Lok Sabha MP on 17th June 2019.