And now Gambhir contradicts the DDCA stance as well
http://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/22814/match-referee-did-the-right-thing:-gambhir/?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=news&utm_campaign=gadgetGautam Gambhir said Match Referee Alan Hurst did the right thing by abandoning the fifth and final India-Sri Lanka ODI because the Ferozeshah Kotla track was not fit for an international game.
Even though Delhi and District Cricket Association claimed matches have been played on worse surface than at the Kotla and Hurst should have considered another track that was offered, Gambhir saw logic in Hurst's decision to call off the game.
"I think the Match Referee has done the right thing. He must have given it a serious thought. It was not an ideal wicket for a one day international match," Gambhir told reporters after he was signed as the brand ambassador of Seagram's Royal Stag Mega Cricket.
India went into the fateful match with an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match ODI series and the game was abandoned after 23.3 overs because of the dangerous track where balls rose alarmingly.
Dismissing DDCA claims that the match could have carried on, Gambhir said, "The whole world now knows why the match was called off. Had the wicket been alright, there would have been a full match on Sunday.
"This is an embarrassing situation which doesn't happen often and someone has to stand up and take the responsibility," he said.
Gambhir's view was in stark contrast with DDCA vice president Chetan Chauhan's assertion that Sri Lanka actually "chickened out" of the match sensing a defeat and the match officials, including Hurst, did not make an honest effort to carry on with the match.
Following Hurst's negative report, the International Cricket Council has already sought an explanation from BCCI to be furnished in two weeks before it decides on the punishment for the venue, which may lead to a ban of upto two years.
Gambhir said if not for the Kotla pitch playing spoilsport, India would have ended the year on a winning note.
"It was both embarrassing and disappointing. A 4-1 win would have looked more comprehensive. We wanted to end the year on a high with a win. It would have given us a momentum going into the tri-series in Bangladesh (starting on January 4)," he rued.
Gambhir said he had no issues with batting at No.3 in ODIs and he was happy to drop down the order to pave way for Sachin Tendulkar in India's one day line-up.
"When you have two of world's best openers, you don't think about that. With two legends of the game opening, you have to give them the honour. They have a great record together and I'm happy playing down the order," Gambhir said.
"I'm happy playing at whatever position I'm offered. Slot doesn't matter. What really matters is how much you contribute. I'm happy while opening. Even when I'm not, I want to contribute as much as possible for the team," he mentioned.
In fact, so impressive was Gambhir at the top that Sehwag called him the best Indian opener since Sunil Gavaskar.
"It's a big compliment, coming from Sehwag but I think I have a long way to go. It's important for me to do consistently well," said the reticent player, who is ranked number one Test batsman in ICC rankings.
Gambhir remains a fan of the longer version of the game and he supported India captain MS Dhoni's suggestion that it should be mandatory for teams to play a minimum number of Test matches.
"Test cricket is the ultimate challenge for a cricketer. Every cricketer wants to do well in this format. We slug three-four hours in the nets not to do well in ODIs or Twenty20s. If you are a middle order bat, you mostly have 10-15 balls in a Twenty20 match. Legends are born from Test cricket."
"Dhoni is right. India should play more Test cricket. The Cricket Board is trying to arrange more Tests and that is a positive sign," he said.
India, the current number one Test team, had just two Tests -- both against minnows Bangladesh -- scheduled in the next 11 months before BCCI woke up from its slumber to squeeze in a two-Test series against South Africa early next year.
"The more Tests, the better. There are some players who play only Test cricket. So if you play just two or four Test matches, it's difficult for them. There should be a minimum number of Test to be played and if any team wants to play more, they should be welcomed," he said.
Talking about his own form, Gambhir paid a rich tribute to India coach Gary Kirsten, singling him out for India's rise as the number one Test team.
"We never had a better coach. Gary contributed the most in our rise and I've played my best cricket under him," Gambhir said of the South African.
"We had coaches earlier also and they had more or less the same set of players. Gary handled us differently. He gave us space and kept the atmosphere light. Even when we didn't do well -- like in Asia Cup -- he never criticised. He didn't create panic or controversy and gave enough confidence to the batsmen and bowlers."
"Personally speaking, he did not change much of my game. It helped that he himself was a left-hander. He shared certain things with me, like how a bowler plots against a left-hander. It helped me a lot and made a lot of difference to my batting, especially in Tests," Gambhir explained.
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