There’s no time in 20-20: Gambhir

By OUR CORRESPONDENT

Jaipur, May 11: He can well be labelled T20’s poster boy. While cricketers across the world are struggling to come to terms with the new format of the game, it seems the Delhi dasher has already mastered it.

With 336 runs from eight games, Gautam Gambhir is the leading scorer in the Indian Premier League and has been a terror for rival bowlers.

A livewire on the field, the 26-year old is quite a loner off it. So how does he manage to shed his shy demeanour to adopt a far more aggressive role on the field, one is tempted to ask.

Says Gambhir, "I hate losing. And that has been the driving force for me throughout. I play with the single-minded determination of winning. If I lose, it stays in my system. So I make sure I end up on the winning side. I guess that’s the transformation that takes place.

"People say results don’t matter, one should only look to give his best. But they really matter to me."

Playing for Delhi Daredevils, Gambhir is in the form of his life. He, along with skipper Virender Sehwag, has provided edge-of-the-seat entertainment to the home fans. The Daredevils owe much of their success to the batting exploits of the dapper left-hander who now has a record nine T20 half-centuries against his name.

Says Gambhir, "It depends on how quickly you adapt. In T20, you need to be right there from the start. There’s hardly any time to settle. A couple of bad overs and it’s all over."

Life hasn’t been a bed of roses for the youngster though, who still has to struggle to earn his India berth. Top-scorer in the one-day series against Australia early this year, Gambhir has been dropped as many as five times in the last two years.