Love On the Pitch: Afridi and Gambhir

Of all of India’s new talent, I have been least impressed with Gautam Gambhir. For one thing, you can hardly call him “new,” since he’s been around for at least three seasons now, and his novelty has always outmatched his performance. Until very recently, however, he has largely disappointed, flashing his blade outside off-stump like he had no care in the world, or failing with some very dodgy footwork.

But the new, uh, new Gautam Ghambhir has a fast-talking mouth as well. During the 3rd ODI against Pakistan (which is quickly becoming the most boring and pointless series since India v. Australia three weeks ago), Gambhir talked right back to an angry Afridi, and then had the indecency to run into the fellow. As SKY’s commentators would later say (ensconced in a safe studio in England), this was largely Gambhir’s fault: this may be a batsman’s game, but the pitch belongs to the bowler, and he can stand where he pleases. [See video.]

If you look closely, you can tell that Afridi won that little chest-bunt: Gambhir looks as if his helmet’s going to fall off. It’s all surprising, given Gambhir’s previously docile demeanor and the general camaraderie the two teams have shown, with players breaking off like pairs in love: Yousuf and Yuvraj; Ganguly and Tanvir; Akthar and Sreesanth — India and Pakistan are certainly closer than India and Australia.

Tanvir put things in perspective best, when he expressed his pent-up aggression with a fine air-kiss. Make love, not war: