The Sanskrit name Gautama or Gautam (the vrddhi patronymic of Gotama) is a common Indian first name. It may refer to:

• Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism and descendant of Rishi Angirasa and Rishi Gautama.
• Gautama Maharishi, one of the Saptarshis in Hinduism.
• Gautam Rajputs, a Sub-clan of Khastriya caste (Rajputs) found in North India.
• Akṣapāda Gotama, an Indian philosopher and logician.
• Gautam Brahmins, a sub-group of Hindu Brahmins in India.
• Gautam Gambhir, Indian cricketer
• Gautam Bhatia, Indian architect and writer.
• Gautam Himal, a section of the Himalaya along the Nepal-Tibet border, west of Mustang

See also[link]

• Gautam (given name), about the name itself

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Allu Arjun
Born	(1983-04-08) April 8, 1983 (age 29) Madras, Tamil Nadu, India
Residence	Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India
Other names	Bunny, Stylish Star
Years active	2003–present
Spouse	Sneha Reddy (2011–present)
Parents	Allu Aravind Allu Nirmala
Website
http://www.alluarjunonline.com/

Allu Arjun (Telugu: అల్లు అర్జున్; born 8 April 1983) is an Indian film actor known for his work in Telugu cinema. He has won two Nandi, two Filmfare and a CineMAA Award for his performances in Arya, Parugu and Vedam.

Personal life[link]

Arjun was born on 8 April 1983 to Allu Aravind and Nirmala. He is the grandson of Telugu comedian Allu Ramalingaiah. He has two brothers Allu Venkatesh and Allu Sirish. He is the nephew of actor Chiranjeevi and actor Pawan Kalyan, and cousin of actor Ram Charan Teja. He married Sneha Reddy on 6 March 2011.

Early career[link]

Arjun worked as a child artist in the film Vijetha and made a guest appearance in Daddy. Arjun made his debut as actor in K. Raghavendra Rao's Gangotri (2003).

2003–2006[link]

His first lead role was in Gangotri, directed by K. Raghavendra Rao which did moderate business despite well received music, composed by MM Keeravani.^[1] His second movie Arya, released in 2004, became his first success at the box office. This film was produced by Dil Raju and directed by Sukumar.^[2] It was the role that first made Allu Arjun a common name among the youth, which till date is his major audience.^{[citation needed]} Music composed by Devisri Prasad became highly successful and contributed to the success of the film.^{[citation needed]}

In 2005, his third film Bunny was released. His fourth film Happy, was released in 2006 and was directed by Karunakaran.

2007 – present[link]

Desamuduru (2007), directed by Puri Jagannadh, proved to be a box office success^[3] and the first hit^[4] of the year in Tollywood. The movie grossed 12.58 crores in the first week of its release. In the same year, he also made a guest appearance in his uncle Chiranjeevi's film, Shankar Dada Zindabad.

Parugu (2008), his sixth film directed by Bhaskar, won him his first Filmfare Award for Best Actor - Telugu^[5] In 2009, Arjun had one release, Arya 2. The film was directed by Sukumar who directed his first film. In 2010, Arjun appeared in Varudu directed by Gunasekhar which was released in 2010. He next acted in Vedam, directed by Radha Krishna Jagarlamudi, in which his portrayal of Cable Raju won him the second Filmfare Award for Best Actor - Telugu.

In 2011, Arjun appeared in Badrinath directed by V. V. Vinayak. Produced by his father in his home banner Geetha Arts with budget of 40 crores, the film grossed 6.5 crore on the first day, becoming the biggest opener in Arjun's career.^{[citation needed]}.His next project is julayi with Trivikram Srinivas.The film completed its shoot and audio release would be in june.^[6]

In the media[link]

Arjun was signed as Brand Ambassador for 7Up soft drinks and also Colgate in Andhra Pradesh.^[7]

Filmography[link]

Awards[link]

Nandi Awards

• Nandi Special Jury Award – Arya (2004)
• Nandi Special Jury Award – Parugu (2008)

Filmfare Awards South

Wins

• Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Telugu – Parugu (2008)
• Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Telugu – Vedam (2010)

Nominations

• Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Telugu – Desamuduru (2007)
• Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Telugu – Arya 2 (2009)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Allu Arjun at the Internet Movie Database

Yami Gautam
Yami Gautam at the premiere of film Vicky Donor
Born	(1987-11-24) November 24, 1987 (age 24) Chandigarh , India
Occupation	Television actress, Film actress
Years active	2008 – present

Yami Gautam is an Indian film and television actress. Her 2012 film Vicky Donor is her first film in Bollywood. Her earlier appearances are on Indian television serials like Yeh Pyar Na Hoga Kam and Chand Ke Paar Chalo. Her claim to fame role was in Vicky Donor.

Biography[link]

Yami's father Mukesh Gautam is a coordinator in Zee News channel.^[1] Yami initially wanted to become an IAS officer as she was a very good student.^[2] Hailing from Himachal Pradesh,^[3] she made her debut on Television with Chand Ke Paar Chalo but her claim to fame was Yeh Pyar Na Hoga Kam^[4] aired on Colors.^[5] She was last seen as a Television actress in Yeh Pyar Na Hoga Kam after which she moved on to feature films.
She essayed the lead role in the Kannada film Ullasa Utsaha.^[6] Then she also participated in the reality show Meethi Choori No.1 on NDTV Imagine. She has done various television advertisements, with the notable amongst those being 'Fair and Lovely' by Hindustan Unilever Limited and Samsung Galaxy Y DUOS.

In 2011, she made her debut in Telugu cinema, enacting a lead role in Ravi Babu's Nuvvila, following which she acted in another film Ek Noor playing the older version of Rabiha.

She has made her Bollywood debut with Vicky Donor where she's cast opposite Ayushmann Khurrana.^[7] She plays the role of a Bengali girl who falls in love with a Punjabi boy. Though the movie revolves around actor, her efforts have been praised for her excellent work. The movie was a success and it received positive reviews. ^[8]

Television and filmography[link]

Television[link]

^[9][10]

Films[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Yami Gautam at the Internet Movie Database
• : Yami Gautam Is the Sexiest Future Superstar of Bollywood

This article about an Indian actor or actress is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Virat Kohli

Personal information
Full name	Virat Kohli
Born	(1988-11-05) 5 November 1988 (age 23) Delhi, India
Height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Batting style	Right-handed
Bowling style	Right arm medium pace
Role	Batsman
International information
National side	India
Test debut (cap 268)	20 June 2011 v West Indies
Last Test	28 January 2012 v Australia
ODI debut (cap 175)	18 August 2008 v Sri Lanka
Last ODI	18 March 2012 v Pakistan
Domestic team information
Years	Team
2006–present	Delhi
2008–present	Royal Challengers Bangalore
Career statistics
Competition	Test	ODI	FC	LA
Matches	8	85	38	116
Runs scored	491	3590	2,622	4,941
Batting average	32.73	50.56	50.42	50.41
100s/50s	1/3	11/21	8/11	15/28
Top score	116	183	197	183
Balls bowled	66	274	534	332
Wickets	0	2	3	2
Bowling average	–	133.00	96.33	159.00
5 wickets in innings	0	0	0	0
10 wickets in match	0	n/a	0	n/a
Best bowling	n/a	1/20	1/19	1/20
Catches/stumpings	10/–	41/–	37/–	61/–
Source: ESPNCricinfo, 28 May 2012

Virat Kohli  pronunciation (help·info) (born 5 November 1988 in Delhi) is an Indian international cricketer. He is a middle order batsman, who can also open the batting. He can also bowl right arm medium pace.^[1] Kohli was the captain of the victorious Indian team at the 2008 U/19 Cricket World Cup held in Malaysia. He represents Delhi in first-class cricket and plays for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League. He also played for the West Delhi Cricket Academy.^[2] He made his One Day International (ODI) debut in 2008 and was part of the Indian team which won the 2011 World Cup. Despite being a regular in the ODI side, he only played his first Test in 2011.

Personal life[link]

Virat Kohli was born on 5 November 1988 in Delhi to Prem and Saroj Kohli.^[3] He has an elder brother, Vikash, and an elder sister, Bhavna.^[4] Virat attended school at Vishal Bharti and Savier Convent. Virat's father, Prem, worked as a lawyer and died in December 2006.^[3] Little is known of Virat Kohli's personal life.^[5]

Youth cricket and early career[link]

The West Delhi Cricket Academy was created in 1998 and Kohli was part of its first intake.^[5] Kohli first came into the spotlight when he played for Delhi in a Ranji Trophy match against Karnataka on the day of his father's death. Choosing to stay and bat, he went on to score 90 runs. Mithun Manhas, the team's captain, remarked that "That is an act of great commitment to the team and his innings turned out to be crucial".^[6]

Kohli captained the victorious Indian team at the 2008 U/19 Cricket World Cup held in Malaysia.^[7] Batting at number 4, he scored 235 runs in 6 matches at an average of 47, including a century against the West Indies U-19s.^[8] He was also commended for making several tactical bowling changes during the tournament.^[9] His mother noted that "Virat changed a bit after that day. Overnight he became a much more matured person. He took every match seriously. He hated being on the bench. It's as if his life hinged totally on cricket after that day."^[3]

Kohli was instrumental in India's win of the 2009 Emerging Players Tournament in Australia. In the final against South Africa, Kohli scored a century and India went on to win the game by 17 runs. Kohli emerged as the leading run scorer of the tournament, aggregating 398 runs from seven matches including two centuries and two fifties.^[10]

Kohli played for Royal Challengers Bangalore at the 2008 Indian Premier League.^[11] He was bought for $30,000 before the first season in 2008. He did not perform well, scoring only 165 runs in 13 innings at an average of 15 and taking only 2 wickets with his bowling. But he improved marginally in the second season, scoring 246 runs in 16 innings with an average of 22.36 and taking 9 catches and effecting 2 run outs. In the third season, he scored 307 runs, including two half centuries, in 13 innings at an average of 27.90. In the fourth season of the IPL, he was the only player that Royal Challengers Bangalore retained, preferred over the likes of Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis and Ross Taylor.

ODI specialist (2008–2011)[link]

Following a hundred in the Emerging Players Tournament in Australia in 2008, Kohli was selected in the ODI squad for India's tour of Sri Lanka.^[12] Kohli made his debut in One Day International against Sri Lanka in the Idea Cup in 2008 when both Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag were injured. He opened the batting in the first match, but was out for 12. But he made a crucial 37 in a low scoring second match in the series, which helped India win and level the series. He made his first half century, a score of 54, in the fourth match which helped India win the series. This was India's first one day series win against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka. He was included in the squad for the home ODI series against England later that same year but was not given a chance to play,due to inclusion of Sachin and Sehwag in team. Kohli was then dropped from the squad for the five-match ODI series in Sri Lanka against Sri Lanka in January 2009.

Kohli played in the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy after Yuvraj Singh was injured, and since mid-2009 has been the reserve ODI batsman. Yuvraj regained fitness for the home series against Australia, so Kohli only played in occasional matches in the series.

In the absence of the injured Yuvraj, Kohli got a chance to play in the 4th ODI when Sri Lanka toured India in December 2009. He scored his first ODI century, milking singles with Gautam Gambhir they shared a 224-run partnership for the third wicket as India won by seven wickets to seal the series 3–1.

Senior batsman Sachin Tendulkar was rested for the tri-nations tournament in Bangladesh in January 2010, so Kohli played in each of India's five matches. After making nine in the opening loss to Sri Lanka, he top-scored with 91 to help secure a win after India collapsed early in their run chase against Bangladesh on 7 January 2010. He then ended unbeaten on 71 to help win the match for India with a bonus point after they chased down their target quickly. The next day, he scored his second ODI century, against Bangladesh, bringing up the mark with the winning runs. He was much praised for his performances during the tournament, and became only the third Indian to score two ODI centuries before their 22nd birthday, following in the footsteps of Tendulkar and Suresh Raina.^[13] However, in the final against Sri Lanka he made only two as India collapsed to 5/60 and an eventual four-wicket defeat.

Kohli was named vice-captain of the ODI side for the Tri-series against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe in Zimbabwe in June 2010 as all the other first-choice players skipped the tournament. In the same series, he became the fastest Indian to score 1,000 runs in ODI cricket.^[14] He was India's leading run-scorer in 2010, with 995 runs including three centuries from 25 matches at an average of 47.38.^[15] Kohli was preferred over Raina for the 2011 World Cup and became the first Indian to score a century on World Cup debut. He also scored 59 against West Indies while sharing a 122-run patnership with Yuvraj Singh.^[16] His 83-run partnership for the third wicket with Gautam Gambhir was instrumental in India taking the upper hand during their run chase against Sri Lanka in the final.^[17] He made 282 runs in 9 innings at an average of 35.25.^[18] Between 1 January 2009 and 1 September 2011, Kohli was India's second highest run-scorer in ODIs with 1,994 runs at an average of 47.47.^[19]

Introduction to Tests (2011–2012)[link]

When India toured the West Indies in June and July 2011, they chose a largely inexperienced squad, resting Tendulkar and others such as Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag missing out due to injuries. Kohli was one of three uncapped players in the Test squad.^[20] India won the Test series 1–0 but Kohli struggled on his debut in the format; he struggled with the short ball^[21] amassing just 76 runs from five innings.^[22] Particularly troublesome for Kohli was the fast bowling of Fidel Edwards, who dismissed him three times in the series.^[23] Initially dropped from the Test squad for India's four-match series against England in July and August, Kohli was recalled as cover for the injured Yuvraj Singh,^[24] though did not play in the series.^[25] He participated in the subsequent ODI series, scoring 194 runs from five innings including a century,^[26] although India lost the series 3–0.^[27] In October England faced India in a return ODI series in India. India won 5–0 and Kohli was the highest run-scorer on either side with 270 across five matches and a highest score of 112 not out.^[28][29]

In November and December 2011, the West Indies toured India for three Tests and five ODIs. Following his ODI success against England the previous month Kohli was included in the Test squad ahead of Raina. In competition with Yuvraj Singh for the number six position,^[30] it was not until the final match of the series that Kohli was selected in the team.^[25] The match ended in a draw, and having won the first two Tests took the series 2–0; Kohli scored a pair of fifties in the match, passing his previous highest score of 30.^[31] India won the subsequent ODI series 4–1 and Kohli managed 243 runs at an average of 60.75 with a highest score of 117.^[32]

Kohli was included in India's squad for the tour of Australia in December 2011. After the first Test he felt his position in the team was in jeopardy,^[33] and during the second Kohli was fined half of his match fee for swearing at fans at the Sydney Cricket Ground who were insulting him.^[34] In an interview after the incident, he remarked "Scoring eight hundreds in one-day internationals can't be a fluke. It's international cricket as well. I don't know why people have been questioning my technique or temperament so much. ... All of this is a learning curve for me. I am playing on difficult wickets, in Australia."^[33] Kohli top scored in each of India's innings in the third Test, with 44 and 75,^[35] and in the fourth and final match Kohli scored his maiden Test century of 116 runs in the second innings; it was the only century scored by an Indian in the series.^[36] India lost the series 4–0^[37] and Kohli was the top scorer for India in the same series.^[38]

India remained in Australia for the triangular ODI series, that followed the Tests; it was contested by Australia, Sri Lanka, and India. Kohli was India's leading run-scorer in the series scoring 373 runs including two half centuries and a century – again, the only century scored by an Indian in the series.^[39] Though India did not progress to the final,^[40] victory against Sri Lanka in India's last match kept them in contention until the final fixture of the group stage. Chasing 321 to win, Kohli came to the crease with India's score at 86/2 and went on to score 133 not out from 86 balls to win with 13 overs to spare. He was named Man of the Match for his effort, which included scoring 24 runs from an over by Lasith Malinga.^[41] He was named vice-captain of the ODI team for the 2012 Asia Cup in March.^[42]

He scored 183 off 148 balls against Pakistan in the fifth match of Asia Cup 2012, recording the joint-fourth highest score by an Indian in ODIs. Coming in at 0/1, he struck 22 fours and a six to take India to a record chase of 330. This is his highest score in One Day internationals and the highest individual score in the Asia Cup. Kohli's innings was the highest individual innings for a batsman against Pakistan in a ODI surpassing previous record by Brian Lara (156).^[43][44] The 2012 Indian Premier League followed in April and May and Kohli scored 364 runs fron 16 matches, with two half-centuries.^[45]

International centuries[link]

Test centuries

Virat Kohli's Test centuries
#	Runs	Balls	4s	6s	Against	City/Country	Venue	Year	Result
1	116	213	11	1	Australia	Adelaide, Australia	Adelaide Oval	2012	Australia won by 298 runs[46]

ODI centuries

Virat Kohli's ODI centuries
#	Runs	Balls	4s	6s	Against	City/Country	Venue	Year	Result
1	107	114	11	1	Sri Lanka	Kolkata, India	Eden Gardens	2009	India won by 7 wickets[47]
2	102*	95	11	0	Bangladesh	Mirpur, Bangladesh	Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium	2010	India won by 6 wickets[48]
3	118	121	11	1	Australia	Visakhapatnam, India	ACA-VDCA Stadium	2010	India won by 5 wickets[49]
4	105	104	10	0	New Zealand	Guwahati, India	Nehru Stadium	2010	India won by 40 runs[50]
5	100*	83	8	2	Bangladesh	Mirpur, Bangladesh	Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium	2011	India won by 87 runs[51]
6	107	93	9	1	England	Cardiff, Wales	SWALEC Stadium	2011	England won by 6 wickets[52]
7	112*	98	16	0	England	Delhi, India	Feroz Shah Kotla	2011	India won by 8 wickets[53]
8	117	123	14	0	West Indies	Vishakapatnam, India	ACA-VDCA Stadium	2011	India won by 5 wickets[54]
9	133*	86	16	2	Sri Lanka	Hobart, Australia	Bellerive Oval	2012	India won by 7 wickets[55]
10	108	120	7	0	Sri Lanka	Mirpur, Bangladesh	Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium	2012	India won by 50 runs[56]
11	183	148	22	1	Pakistan	Mirpur, Bangladesh	Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium	2012	India won by 6 wickets[57]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Player profile: Virat Kohli from ESPNcricinfo
• Player profile: Virat Kohli from CricketArchive

v t e India squad – 2011 Cricket World Cup (2nd Title) 3 Harbhajan 5 Gambhir 7 Dhoni (c & wk) 10 Tendulkar 11 Chawla 12 Yuvraj 13 Munaf 18 Kohli 28 Yusuf 34 Zaheer 36 Sreesanth 44 Sehwag 48 Raina 64 Nehra 66 Ashwin Coach: Kirsten Praveen Kumar was injured and replaced by Sreesanth.

Gautam Gambhir

Personal information
Born	(1981-10-14) 14 October 1981 (age 30) New Delhi, India
Nickname	Gauti
Batting style	Left-handed
Bowling style	Right arm leg break
Role	Opening- and Top order Batsman
International information
National side	India
Test debut (cap 249)	3 November 2004 v Australia
Last Test	24 January 2012 v Australia
ODI debut (cap 149)	11 April 2003 v Bangladesh
Last ODI	28 February 2012 v Sri Lanka
T20I debut (cap 2)	13 September 2007 v Scotland
Last T20I	11 May 2010 v Sri Lanka
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1999/00–present	Delhi
2008–2010	Delhi Daredevils
2011–present	Kolkata Knight Riders
Career statistics
Competition	Test	ODI	FC	LA
Matches	48	131	133	228
Runs scored	3,712	4,708	10,774	7,807
Batting average	45.26	40.58	52.04	38.08
100s/50s	9/19	10/31	32/48	17/47
Top score	206	150*	233*	150*
Balls bowled	–	6	385	37
Wickets	–	0	7	1
Bowling average	–	–	39.57	36.00
5 wickets in innings	–	–	0	0
10 wickets in match	–	n/a	0	–
Best bowling	–	–	3/12	1/7
Catches/stumpings	33/–	34/–	82/–	62/–
Source: Cricinfo, 30 January 2012

Gautam Gambhir ( pronunciation (help·info); born 14 October 1981) is an Indian cricketer. A left-handed batsman, he made his One Day International debut for India in 2003, and played his first Test the following year. Gambhir had been a prolific run-scorer in domestic cricket with an average of over 50 but his two successive double-hundreds in 2002 (one of them against the visiting Zimbabweans) made him a strong contender for India's opening slot.

Gambhir became only the fourth Indian batsman to score a double century in a tour game at home; the previous three being Sunil Gavaskar, Dilip Vengsarkar and Sachin Tendulkar. He is the only Indian batsman to score more than 300 runs in four consecutive Test series. He is also the only Indian, and one of only four international cricketers, to have scored five hundreds in five consecutive test matches.^[1] On July 2009, for a period of ten days he was the number one ranked batsman in ICC Test rankings.^[2][3]

Early life[link]

Gambhir attended Modern School, New Delhi.^[4] Gambhir was selected in 2000 for the first intake of the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore.^[5] He married Natasha Jain, who belongs to a prominent business family, on 28 October 2011.^[6]

International career[link]

Early career[link]

Gambhir made his ODI debut against Bangladesh in the TVS Cup in 2003. In his third match, he scored 71 and was named Man of the Match. His maiden century (103 off 97 balls) came against Sri Lanka in 2005. In 2004, he made his Test debut against Australia in the fourth and last Test match of the Border Gavaskar Trophy but did himself no favours by getting out for 3 and 1. He made amends in his second Test, however, scoring 96 against the South Africans. His maiden Test century came against Bangladesh in December 2004. Gambhir then made a number of starts in the home series against Pakistan in 2005, but was able to make only one half-century in six innings. He made 97 in Zimbabwe later that year, but failed to reach 30 against Sri Lanka at home, repeatedly struggling against Chaminda Vaas, and was subsequently dropped from the Test team. He was replaced in Tests by Wasim Jaffer, who made a double hundred and a hundred in seven Tests.

While Gambhir was out of the Test team, he played a number of One Day Internationals for India between 2005 and 2007. However, he was not selected for the 2007 World Cup as the selectors opted for a top-order of Sourav Ganguly, Virender Sehwag, and Sachin Tendulkar. It affected him badly and Gambhir later said that "When I got dropped for the World Cup, there were times I didn't want to play anymore. I didn't want to practise. I couldn't motivate myself."^[7] With no other career options, Gambhir stuck with cricket. After India's first-round exit from the tournament, Gambhir was selected for the One Day International on India's 2007 tour of Bangladesh. Believing the series could be his last chance,^[7] Gambhir scored his second century on that tour and was subsequently selected for the One Day International on India's tour to Ireland in 2007. He scored an unbeaten 80 against Ireland in the first game of that tour and was awarded the man of the match award for that effort. In the post-match interview, he indicated that performing more consistently was a top priority for his career as he had done so in the past.^[8]

2007 – 2010[link]

Gambhir was selected in India's squad for the 2007 ICC World Twenty20, which India went on to win in South Africa, beating Pakistan in the final. Gambhir performed well in the shortest form of the game, ending the tournament as India's top run scorer, with 227 at an average of 37.83, including three half-centuries which included a crucial 75 runs off 54 balls against Pakistan in the final.^[9]

2008 started well for Gambhir. At home, he scored an unbeaten 130 in the Ranji Trophy final to help Delhi beat Uttar Pradesh by nine wickets just two days before the team for the ODI tournament in Australia was to be announced.

Gambhir was forced to miss the Test series in Australia due to a shoulder injury. In the 2007–08 CB Series, he scored an unbeaten 102 at The Gabba against Sri Lanka in a match washed out due to rain. Three weeks later at Sydney, he scored a career-best 113 off 119 balls against Australia, in a high scoring match which India lost by 18 runs. He finished the CB series as the leading run-scorer with 440 runs.

In 2008 Gambhir finally solidified his place in the Indian Test team with a string of high scores. Opening the batting with Delhi teammate Virender Sehwag, he scored 858 runs at over 61 in seven matches as of December including a double century against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. However in the same match he was involved in controversy when he elbowed bowler Shane Watson while taking a run. Gambhir asserted it was accidental, but was banned for one Test.^[10] Gambhir scored 463 runs in the series, which despite missing the last match was more than any other player in the series.^[11]

He was the leading run-scorer in the Test series against England in December 2008 and against New Zealand in early-2009, meaning that he had achieved this feat in three consecutive series.

Gambhir played his first major Test series outside the sub-continent, having toured New Zealand in 2009. In the second Test match he scored a match saving 137 in the second innings. He stood more than five sessions in the middle and faced over 430 balls. This innings led Virender Sehwag, Gambhir's opening partner, close friend and captain for the match, to call him 'The Second Wall' in reference to Rahul Dravid. He then scored 167 in the second innings of the Third Test to give India an unassailable lead, but rain helped the New Zealand batsmen to hang on for a draw. Gambhir, with 445 runs in six innings at an average of 89, helped India win 1–0 to script a series win in that country after 41 years.

He was named as the ICC Test Player of the Year for 2009, and was briefly ranked the No. 1 batsman in the ICC rankings in July; at the time India were not playing Tests and his points rating did not change, but other batsmen who were ranked higher lost points before regaining them.

He continued his run in the late-2009 Test series against Sri Lanka at home. He scored a century in the second innings of the First Test in Ahmedabad to force a draw after the visitors had taken a first innings lead of more than 300, and then combined in a double century opening partnership with Sehwag on the first day of the Second Test in Kanpur, scoring 167 himself and helping India to score more than 400 runs on the opening day. This set up their score of 642 and an innings victory. Following the match, Gambhir returned to the top of the ICC rankings.

Gambhir withdrew from the Third and final Test against Sri Lanka at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai in order to attend his sister's wedding. Vijay against stood in and scored 87 to help India win again by an innings.

He returned for the ODIs and scored an unbeaten 150 in the fourth match in Calcutta to help seal the series 3–1, guiding the hosts to victory in the run-chase.

In the First Test against Bangladesh in Chittagong in January 2009, Gambhir hit a rapid 116 from 129 balls. It was his fifth century in as many Tests and made him the fourth player to achieve this feat. Only Don Bradman has managed six centuries in as many matches.

In the 29th Test match against Bangladesh at Dhaka he rewrote the history of IVA Richards by scoring most fifties plus runs in 11 consecutive matches. In this match he scored 66 runs.

2011 onwards[link]

In the final of the Cricket World Cup 2011, Gambhir scored a solid knock of 97 from 122 balls. Coming in to bat in the first over after the dismissal of Virender Sehwag, he anchored the Indian inning through the dismissals of Sachin Tendulkar and Kohli, and put up a match-winning partnership of 109 runs with MS Dhoni to ensure India lifted the Cup.^[12]

In 2011, India's batting line-up struggled in Tests, particularly away from home. Out of sixteen innings in away Tests, India passed 300 just twice and both the team's opening batsmen failed to score a century in the format in the whole of 2011.^[13] Between February 2010 and November 2011, Gambhir played in 14 Tests. From 25 innings he scored 704 runs at an average of 29.33. In the same period, only two opening batsmen who had played at least 15 innings had a worse average: Phillip Hughes of Australia and Imrul Kayes of Bangladesh. However, while he was struggling in Tests, Gambhir enjoyed a rich run of form in ODIs, averaging 56.90 from 23 matches.^[14] Gambhir opened the batting in all four of India's Test defeats against Australia in 2011–12. He scored 181 runs at an average of 22.62.^[15]

On 12 February 2012, Gautam Gambhir scored 92 off 111 balls in an ODI match against Australia at the Adelaide Oval, to help India win their first match against the hosts at that venue. It was also India's highest successful run chase in Australia. For his effort, Gambhir won the Man of the Match award.^[16] On 14 February 2012, against Sri Lanka, Gambhir yet again missed out on an ODI hundred when he was dismissed run out for a fine 91 off 106 balls. This knock from Gambhir was instrumental in securing a thrilling tie in that match.

Indian Premier League[link]

Gambhir was picked up by the Delhi Daredevils franchise in the first player auction of the Indian Premier League for a price of US$725,000 a year. He became the second highest run-scorer of the inaugural season with 534 runs from 14 matches.^[17] He was promoted to the post of Captain of the Delhi Daredevils for IPL Season 2010.^[18] At the end of the tournament he became the only player from Delhi Daredevils to score more than 1000 runs in the IPL.

In the 2011 IPL player auction, Gambhir was the most sought after player, fetching a bid of $2.4 million from The Kolkata Knight Riders, making him the highest paid cricketer in the history of IPL. He was then appointed as the skipper of the team.^[19] Under Gambhir's captaincy, the Kolkata Knight Riders qualified for the IPL playoffs and also made it to the Champions League Twenty20 for the first time. He eventually led the side to their first title in 2012 by defeating defending champions Chennai Super Kings by 5 wickets at their home ground in Chennai.^[20] Gamnhir is the leading run-scorer of the Kolkata Knight Riders.^[21] During the same season, he scored 6 half-centuries out of a total of nine from his team and became only the second player to cross the 2000 runs mark in the history of the IPL and the second highest run scorer ever in the tournament.^[22]

Season by season at IPL[link]