Former Indian opening batsman and vital member of two ICC Cricket World Cup-winning Indian teams Gautam Gambhir turned 38 on Monday. Messages and wishes started pouring in for the left-handed cricketer.
Apart from his heroics with the national cricket team Gambhir, currently a Member of Parliament (MP), represented Delhi in domestic cricket and led Kolkata Knight Riders to two IPL victories. He even went on to lead the Delhi Daredevils team in the Indian Premier League during his playing days.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was quick to wish one of India’s prominent left-handed openers. The BCCI twitter handle shared a video of one of his splendid knocks against Sri Lanka in 2009 and captained it, “Wishing @GautamGambhir a very Happy Birthday
Here’s a throwback to one of his memorable innings in a run-chase against Sri Lanka in 2009 #HappyBirthdayGautamGambhir”
Wishing @GautamGambhir a very Happy Birthday 🎂🎂
Here’s a throwback to one of his memorable innings in a run-chase against Sri Lanka in 2009 #HappyBirthdayGautamGambhir pic.twitter.com/uHgH8Tq8YO— BCCI (@BCCI) October 14, 2019
Chesteshwar Pujara, India’s main weapon in Test Match cricket, also took to Twitter to wish Gambhir on his birthday.
“Wish you a great birthday @GautamGambhir paaji! May God bless you with lots of success and good health,” Gambhir tweeted.
Wish you a great birthday @GautamGambhir paaji! May god bless you with lots of success and good health.🙂 pic.twitter.com/yG3JvsvNUj
— cheteshwar pujara (@cheteshwar1) October 14, 2019
Indian pace bowler Irfan Pathan also tweeted an image of himself along with Gambhir and stated, “keep smiling bro.”
Happy birthday @GautamGambhir keep smiling bro, ppl like u more that way;) #birthday pic.twitter.com/NN6tD8jCcq
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) October 14, 2019
“Many more happy returns of the day @GautamGambhir. May you find fulfillment and happiness in all that you do,” India’s Natwest 2002 hero Mohammad Kaif tweeted.
Many more happy returns of the day @GautamGambhir . May you find fulfillment and happiness in all that you do. pic.twitter.com/xAwyVSLYz9
— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) October 14, 2019
DDCA President Rajat Sharma also sent his best wishes to Gambhir and tweeted: “Former cricketer and @BJP4India MP @GautamGambhir once said in #AapKiAdalat why he’ll always regret not completing his century in the 2011 ICC World Cup final. Happy Birthday, Gautam Gambhir.”
Happy Birthday @GautamGambhir , now @BJP4India MP . May God bless you with a long and happy life. You once said in #AapKiAdalat you’d have loved playing against a bowler like @ShaneWarne but it never materialized. pic.twitter.com/Neo86Vu4YN
— Rajat Sharma (@RajatSharmaLive) October 14, 2019
“Wish you a very happy birthday Gauti bhai @GautamGambhir. May you continue to make a difference in millions of lives & lots of success come your way!” tweeted another left-handed batsman Suresh Raina.
Wish you a very happy birthday Gauti bhai @GautamGambhir.
May you continue to make a difference in millions of lives & lots of success come your way! pic.twitter.com/tLvhnFHSHl— Suresh Raina🇮🇳 (@ImRaina) October 14, 2019
“Happy birthday@GautamGambhir. May all your birthday wishes and dreams come true. Have a fabulous year Gauti” batting veteran VVS Laxman said.
Happy birthday @GautamGambhir May all your birthday wishes and dreams come true. Have a fabulous year Gauti🤗 pic.twitter.com/5FiAZ2HoU5
— VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281) October 14, 2019
Kuldeep Yadav, Yusuf Pathan and cricket journalist Joy Bhattacharjya were among others to wish him on his birthday.
Happy Birthday @GautamGambhir bhaiya
Thankyou for all the guidance and support.
Playing under you was a great learning experience.
Best wishes 🙏🏻💯 pic.twitter.com/PCn8n0C7rt— Kuldeep yadav (@imkuldeep18) October 14, 2019
Had many memorable moments with him in the Indian team and IPL. Wishing @GautamGambhir a very happy birthday. Hope you continue to make the difference and be successful in your upcoming endeavours. pic.twitter.com/6C5bav76pF
— Yusuf Pathan (@iamyusufpathan) October 14, 2019
A very happy birthday to @gautamgambhir. Two winning performances in two World Cup finals, 2007 and 2011. How many players can claim that. And a captain willing to take a bullet for his team. This is a moment I managed to capture during his KKR days. pic.twitter.com/1rP0eTKz62
— Joy Bhattacharjya (@joybhattacharj) October 14, 2019
Notably, the Padma Shri award winner announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in December 2018.