Ravi Shastri wants Gambhir to be given an "Indian berth" for Champions Trophy
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Ravi Shastri has come out in support of Gautam Gambhir to be included in the Champions Trophy squad after the Delhi batsman won the support of his fans on twitter. Gambhir has been extraordinary this IPL season and has amassed 376 runs and is the holder of the orange cap.
Gautam Gambhir has been in sensational form this season both as the skipper and as an opening batsman for Kolkata Knightriders. The Delhi batsman has been consistent with the bat throughout the tournament and with India struggling to find opening options Gambhir seems like the best on offer.
Gambhir fans have already started a trend #BringBackGG to pressurise the selectors for including Gambhir in the Champions Trophy 2017 squad and now Ravi Shastri is also backed up the fans.Â
"Gautam Gambhir has so far been the most consistent opener in this IPL. His batting is still smooth and layered and whenever his bat makes a contact with the ball, there is a run. It's another matter he could've just played as captain and still be worth his weight in gold. Indeed, he has been superb as a leader of his men ", Shastri wrote in his TOI column.Â
The Indian team has been struggling to find reliable opening options with Rohit Sharma struggling in the IPL and Shikhar Dhawan just finding his form, Gambhir could be a great option as pointed out by the veteran cricketer. Gambhir recently played two match-winning knocks that helped his side register two convincing wins without breaking a sweat.
"As a batsman, Gambhir has been unstoppable. Nobody has hit more boundaries or 50s. His cuts still thread past the pointcover region; his dabs still have third man diving desperately and raking up a laundry bill. That he hardly hits a six tells us about the options he still has at the crease. It's been a task for the bowlers to keep him pinned to an end", he further added.Â
Shastri backed Gambhir and said, "This man obviously wants an Indian berth. KL Rahul is out of the Champions Trophy; Rohit Sharma hasn't opened this IPL and Shikhar Dhawan is now warming up to the task. This  34-year old could be a good man to have Kohli's attention."
Gambhir has a strike rate of 137.72 and an average of over 60 in the ongoing season of IPL and has surely drawn attention towards himself with these figures.
