Four years back, in the fourth and final Test between India and Australia at the Wankhede Stadium, a 23-year-old batsman from Delhi had made his debut.
By then the visitors had already pocketed the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and the above-mentioned Test -- which India eventually went on to win -- was only of academic interest. However, the enormity of the situation and the accompanying pressure was such that the left-hander could only score 3 and 1 respectively in the match. A rather forgettable debut indeed!
Four years later, life has come a full circle for Gautam Gambhir. Having proved his mettle in the shorter (ODIs) and the shortest (T20s) versions of the game, now 27, he is proving his worth in Tests, with back to back hundreds against who else but Australia.
For the record, Gambhir, having scored 104 in the second innings at Mohali, became only the second Indian to score hundreds in successive innings against Australia in Tests after Vijay Hazare, who made 116 and 145 in the same Test at Adelaide in 1947-48.
"I made my debut against them [Australia] and it was not a great experience by any means," he recollected on Wednesday, at the end of the first day's play in the third Test. "I had a dream to score a century against them and, so far, it is working my ways."
The ton also happened to be his first on home ground.
"Again, it was a dream to score a ton in Delhi, where I have played all my life," said Gambhir, who now aggregates 370 runs in five innings in this series, the most by any batsman.
In his first Test at the Kotla against Sri Lanka in 2005, he could only score 2 and 3. This time he set the record straight.
"Against Sri Lanka, I was under pressure to perform in my debut Test here," he reasoned. "This time I tried to take the pressure out and that worked."
Whatever be the case, Gambhir the Test player is finally making his presence felt.
