Gautam Gambhir scores patient 36 for Essex

Rejoining his county duty after a brief hiatus, out-of-favour India opener Gautam Gambhir on Wednesday made a patient 36 during his side Essex’s County Championship Division Two four-day match against Kent.

Opening the batting, Gambhir played cautiously and faced 132 deliveries, hitting two boundaries at the St Lawrence Ground. Gambhir was dismissed by right-arm pacer Charlie Shreck in the 42nd over of the day, caught by Brendan Nash.

Gambhir’s stint with Essex started only last month but he failed to make much impact with scores of 31, 21, 2 and 0 before striking a hundred on August 30 against Gloucestershire in a drawn match in Bristol.

The left-handed opener, however, had to return home on September 1 because of a tragedy in the family. Determined to make a comeback in the Indian team, Gambhir opted to travel to England to regain his lost form. Gambhir has not played for India since the home ODI series against England in January. He was later ruled out of the subsequent Test series against Australia due to jaundice after being picked for the first Test.

But there is some respite for the left hander as he is named alongside Virender Sehwag and Zaheer Khan for the India A squad for two four-day games against visiting West Indies A next month.