Gambhir ‘nervous as a novice’ after shock recall

KOLKATA: Veteran Indian opener Gautam Gambhir will look to roll back the years following his shock recall for the second Test against New Zealand starting from Friday (tomorrow) after more than two years in the wilderness.

After taking a 1-0 lead earlier this week in the opening match of the three-Test series in Kanpur, India can both clinch the series and seal their return to the top of the world rankings at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens.

In picking Gambhir, who turns 35 in a fortnight, the selectors have gone for a man who has vast experience of India’s largest venue as skipper of the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

“Nothing beats playing again for the country. Test cricket, whites, red ball and India cap again,” Gambhir said on Twitter after his surprise recall was announced on Tuesday night.

“Excitement of a debutant, certainty of experienced, nervousness of a novice...am feeling it all. Eden here I come loaded with ambitions.”

Gambhir, who is 13th on the list of all-time Indian run-scorers in Tests, is guaranteed a place in the starting XI after being called up in place of the injured Lokesh Rahul.

India could also be tempted to pick an extra bowler following their thumping victory in the Kanpur Test which ended on Monday with a 197-run victory over the Black Caps.

The spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja shared 16 wickets in Kanpur but the pitch in Kolkata is expected to be more conducive to seam and skipper Virat Kohli has hinted that he may pick an extra bowler.

“Kolkata might not be as slow or turn as much as Kanpur did. We know Kolkata is a much better batting wicket, so we can afford to maybe play an extra bowler there, you never know,” said Kohli.