Becoming a father has brought me luck: Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir

Indian batsman Gautam Gambhir has said that fatherhood has brought him a lot of luck. Until a few months ago, Gambhir was struggling with the bat even at domestic cricket. He was out of the Indian team as well. He was not able to score in his first few innings in this year’s IPL. His daughter Aazeen was born a month ago and since then his luck has changed. He came back to form in the IPL and was one of the highest scorers among Indian players. He led his team KKR to victory in the IPL and also earned a call up to the Indian team for the upcoming tour of England.

Gambhir said, “Fatherhood has brought me a lot of joy and luck; I am thankful to the creator. The other day, one of my friends suggested that whenever I walk out to bat, my profile should read: Gautam Gambhir: Indian cricketer, World Cup winner, Arjuna Awardee and now a Proud Father.”

He was away at the tournament when his daughter arrived. He added, “The rules don’t allow players to carry phones into the dressing room on match days. So, there were days I’d think Natasha may have delivered when the game was on, and later I would switch on the phone with all the anxiety in the world. In hindsight, I don’t think I’d have been able to handle the ­pressure of seeing my wife go through labour.

“I can’t see my ­family in pain. I am proud of my wife and my mother who handled the entire pregnancy so well. I’ve always ­respected mothers, but ­seeing what my wife went through to get our baby into this world has only ­increased my respect for my mother.”