NEW DELHI: Gautam Gambhir can do no
wrong these days. The opener has gone from strength to strength over the last
year or so, becoming a bigger scourge for the bowlers every passing month.

Fresh from leading India to a landslide win over Sri Lanka in the
Kanpur Test, Gambhir, who will be skipping the third Test in Mumbai (beginning
Wednesday) to attend his sister’s wedding, spoke to TOI on Monday over a host of
issues.

Excerpts:

It
must have been a tough decision to skip a Test when you are in the form of your
life…

At times, family comes first. This is one occasion,
you don’t want to miss. I tried to adjust the timing, but it was touch and go
and eventually, it didn’t work out. Earlier, I thought of taking an evening
flight to Delhi and then fly back to Mumbai next morning. But with weather
conditions uncertain, you can’t take a chance. Such an event doesn’t happen
again and again and so I decided to skip the
Test.

Virender Sehwag had said that
you are the best opening batsman India have produced after Sunil Gavaskar. Your
response.

It’s quite a compliment from Sehwag, even though I
don’t believe in comparisons. Right now, I have a lot to achieve. It’s been two
years that I’m regular Test opener. I have a long way to go. It’s good that I am
able to score consistently and in my opinion, that is my
job.

Many cricket pundits feel you
are now India’s best batsman. How to do react to such praise when the likes of
Tendulkar, Dravid, Sehwag are a part of the same team?

As I
said earlier, I don’t believe in comparisons. If I am able to contribute to my
team’s fortune, that makes me the happiest
man.

You are also the BCCI cricketer
of the year…

I consider myself lucky. Getting awards
motivates a player, but for me the biggest motivation is to play for the
country.

Apart from cricket, what do
you share with Sehwag when you two are batting together?

We
try to keep each other relaxed by cracking jokes and singing some tunes other
than discussing cricket. When the overs start, we get into our shells and
concentrate intensely on our batting. So, the breaks between overs actually help
us relax.

You are playing fewer Test
matches nowadays. Do you think that there should be better balance between
Tests, ODIs and T20s?

Personally, I prefer Test cricket
because that is the ultimate test for any cricketer in matter of skills, stamina
and temperament. But if we play Test after long gaps, it’s slightly tough to
adapt initially. Something of that sort happened in the first innings against
Sri Lanka in the first Test at Ahmedabad. But in the second innings, I was a lot
more confident.

Who is the biggest
fan of your batting in the Indian dressing room?

(Laughs) I
don’t think anyone enjoys my batting. When there is so much flair, so many
strokemakers and record-holders in the team, there is little opportunity for
them to watch me bat. I am the batsman with the least talent in the team. My job
is to socre runs.

No.1 Test batsman
in the world, four hundreds in last four Tests…did you imagine all this
happening three-four years ago?

I knew I could make it big.
But I was in and out of the side. Once I got a longer run, I started scoring.
Now, I don’t want to get complacent and relax. For me, it’s important to give
good starts to my team and I will do it to the best of my
ability.

Was it a ploy to attack the Sri Lanka spinners from the word
go…

When I go out to bat, my natural instinct is to play
aggressively. On top of that, the pitches were flat. So it was easy for me to
dominate the Lankans spinners.

Do
you think Muttiah Muralitharan is losing his edge?

Not at all.
He is too great a spinner to lose the edge. Don’t forget his record and never
underestimate his ability to take wickets. Right now, like any other cricketer,
he is going through a lean patch, but a wicket or two can make a big
difference.

Have the Indians sorted
out Ajantha Mendis?

If you are playing international cricket
for sometime, it’s natural that the opposing teams are going to study you. We
have also done our homework.

Unlike
some of your teammates, you are not very emotive on the field. Is this your
natural being?

Well, that is how I am. I don’t express too
much on the field. But in front of my family and friends, I am a different
person. This is my basic
nature.

Your thoughts on Sreesanth’s
bowling spell in the Kanpur Test?

Sreesanth was fantastic. He
is very talented. If he can stay away from controversies, he is a great asset
for the Indian team and can lead the Indian pace attack with Ishant
(Sharma).

Some reports claim that
Sreesanth is still a loner even after his Kanpur
performance?

These are all rumours. When you are playing for
India, everyone has a common goal and there can’t be any loner in that. He is
very much part of the team and has shown what he can do for
India.

Coming to Ishant, how do you
see him getting back to form?

Look, Ishant is just 21 and if
he is going through a low phase, it’s going to help him come back stronger. He
is immensely talented. Not only that, he is going to break a lot of records.
Even I have gone through similar stages. In the end, it only makes us stronger
and wiser.