He has a proven record in one-day internationals and an enviable one in Twenty20. However, there was something missing from Gautam Gambhir's oeuvre. He had yet to establish himself in the longer version of the game. That was something that mattered the most.
He did have a Test century to his name -- 139 against Bangladesh at Chittagong in December 2004 -- but the quality of the opposition then, and his inability to follow up on that effort, meant his calibre as a Test batsman remained in doubt in the minds of the game's aficionados.
The fact that he did get starts but was failing to convert the same further cemented the doubt and raised yet another question as regards his perseverance. The 67 he scored in the first innings at the Mohali Test was yet another addition to that not-so-impressive list.
However, his superlative 104 in the second was something that helped him take a step forward in establishing his credentials as a Test player. Needless to say, Gambhir was relieved at reaching his first three-figure score in almost four years (in Tests).
"It took a lot of time coming. But it was definitely worth the wait," gushed the opener. "It was always playing in my mind that I was getting starts but not being able to convert them.
"Today I didn't think at all about it and am relieved that it (a century) has finally happened. After all, in Tests it is all about big runs."
The 27-year-old had no hesitation in accepting that he was feeling the heat.
"There was a lot of pressure on me," he admitted. "I had to establish myself in Test cricket."
To say that the knock has established Gambhir in the longer version of the game will be like pushing the envelope a bit too far. But this definitely implied a step forward in that direction.
Most of Gambhir's success has had to do with his partnership with fellow-opener Virender Sehwag. And the left-hander has never failed to acknowledge the influence and the fact that they work well in tandem. On Monday too, he wasted no time in reiterating his by now oft-repeated lines.
"I have always said that it is because of the fact that we spent a lot of time together on the field and have a great understanding off it as well," reasoned Gambhir. "And so far the relationship is working well."
