Gautam Gambhir never went to college: Here's how far he studied
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
Yet, amid this illustrious career lies a lesser-known facet—his formal education ended after Class 12. He never pursued a college degree. Still, his rise is a striking testament to the power of discipline, mentorship, and single-minded pursuit of excellence.
Cricketing laurels: From streets of Delhi to global glory
Raised in New Delhi, Gambhir's cricketing journey began at the age of 10. Under the mentorship of Sanjay Bharadwaj and Raju Tandon at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Academy, and later at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore, Gambhir honed a batting style marked by grit and composure.
He debuted for India in ODIs in 2003 and Tests in 2004, steadily becoming a mainstay in the batting line-up.
Gambhir was pivotal in India's T20 World Cup win in 2007 and played an iconic 97-run knock in the 2011 World Cup final, anchoring India's victory. Known for his consistency and mental resilience, he captained the Kolkata Knight Riders to two IPL titles in 2012 and 2014, and mentored them to a third in 2024.
With multiple international accolades including the ICC Test Player of the Year (2009), Padma Shri (2019), and the Arjuna Award (2008), Gambhir retired in 2018 as one of India's most respected left-handed openers.
Political turn and coaching career
Post-retirement, Gambhir transitioned seamlessly into politics, joining the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2019 and serving as a Member of Parliament from East Delhi until 2024. Known for his forthright views on national security and civic issues, he earned a reputation as a proactive and outspoken legislator.
In July 2024, Gambhir was appointed as the head coach of the Indian men's cricket team, immediately leading them to victory in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy—an emphatic start to his three-year tenure.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
Educational background: A career built without a degree
What sets Gambhir apart even further is that he carved this multi-dimensional career despite not completing a college education. He studied at Modern School, New Delhi, and completed his Class 12, but chose to forgo higher studies to pursue cricket full-time.
Living with his maternal grandparents and under the tutelage of his uncle-mentor Pawan Gulati, Gambhir immersed himself entirely in sport. With selectors beginning to notice him in the late 1990s, formal education naturally took a back seat.
His selection in the inaugural batch of the National Cricket Academy in 2000 further solidified this path.
Conclusion
Gautam Gambhir's story challenges the notion that higher education is the only route to success. While academic qualifications remain vital for many careers, Gambhir's life illustrates how passion, perseverance, and timely mentorship can propel a person to national and global prominence—even without a college degree. His trajectory is not just that of a cricketer or politician—it is the saga of a man who redefined boundaries, both on the pitch and off it.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
11 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Wrote to parties to push for bill on statehood restoration in Parl: Omar
As demand for restoration of statehood has gained momentum, chief minister Omar Abdullah said he has written to several parties with a sizeable presence in Parliament, seeking their support for the introduction of a Bill for the restoration of statehood in Jammu and Kashmir in the ongoing Monsoon session. J&K CM Omar Abdullah. (File) J&K CM had written to 40 MPs, including the Congress president Malikarjun Kharge, and other prominent Lok Sabha members urging them to raise the issue of J&K's statehood in the Parliament. 'I have written a letter to all those parties who have a good number of MPs in Parliament and requested them to help on the promise made to J&K on statehood and raise the issue in Parliament so that a Bill is brought in this session itself and J&K gets its statehood back,' Omar told reporters in Srinagar. 'The act of reducing J&K from a state to a Union territory in 2019 and the prolonged delay in restoring its status as a full state... has profound implications for the future of Indian polity,' the three-page letter stated. The CM said the reorganisation of J&K into a UT in August 2019 was presented as a 'temporary and transitional measure' and cited repeated public assurances from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On the Supreme Court likely to hear a plea for the restoration of statehood on August 8, Omar said the restoration should come through the court if the government does not do it. 'It is a good thing and I hope the Supreme Court keeps in mind is that when they gave a judgement on the August 5 case (in December 2023), they had said that the statehood should be restored as soon as possible. Now, many years have passed but we have not got it yet,' he said. The CM also highlighted the 'remarkable and enthusiastic participation' of the people of J&K in last year's assembly elections and said that they turned up in record numbers and demonstrated an unshaken faith in our constitutional processes and democratic institutions. In a 'respectful acknowledgement' of this, his government's first act was to pass a unanimous resolution calling for the immediate restoration of statehood. He said had the SC not set a deadline for conducting assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, 'perhaps I would not have been talking to you as the chief minister today'. 'We got elections last year as SC had set a timeframe. Otherwise they (centre) would have never held elections and I wouldn't have been a CM. Let's hope, government gives a time for statehood restoration. It has been promised to people of J&K in parliament, meetings and rallies.' Will take issue in INDI alliance meeting: Farooq Abdullah National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Wednesday said that he will raise the issue of statehood of J&K in meeting of INDI alliance. 'Congress president has called a meeting of alliance parties and will raise the issue of J&K's statehood. They have been supporting us on this,' Farooq told on sidelines of function. PDP, NC on same page on statehood demand The Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (JKPDP) welcomes the recent appeal by chief minister for a collective push toward restoring statehood in J&K. However, JKPDP expresses concern over the selective focus on statehood, while overlooking the far more critical demand for restoring Article 370 and Article 35A, which form the constitutional foundation of Jammu and Kashmir's identity, rights, and autonomy. JKPDP chief spokesperson Mehboob Beg said that while the party wholeheartedly supports the call for statehood and stands ready to back any meaningful initiative that fulfils promises made to the people in Parliament, public forums, and before the Supreme Court, it is disheartening to see that the NC, under CM Omar Abdullah's leadership, has not demonstrated equal urgency or clarity on the restoration of J&K's special status. 'The abrogation of Article 370 and 35A in August 2019 was a historic betrayal that struck at the heart of our political and cultural identity. Ignoring this reality while demanding statehood alone dilutes the larger struggle for justice and dignity,' Beg said. 'Statehood without special status is akin to treating the symptoms while ignoring the root cause,' Beg asserted. The JKPDP reiterated its position that statehood, while important, cannot be the ultimate goal. The restoration of Articles 370 and 35A must remain central to any political roadmap for Jammu and Kashmir.
The Hindu
11 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Trump non-committal on whether extra India tariffs will go with Russia-Ukraine ceasefire
U.S. President Donald Trump did not confirm whether the additional 25% tariffs he had announced on Wednesday (August 6, 2025), on Indian exports to the U.S., for New Delhi's trade in arms and energy with Moscow, would be cancelled if Russia and Ukraine agreed to a ceasefire. 'Well, we'll determine that later, but right now, they're paying a 50% tariff,' Mr. Trump told a reporter who asked if the additional 25% tariff on top of the 25% 'reciprocal tariff', would go following a ceasefire. Mr. Trump was taking questions at an event at the White House with Apple CEO Tim Cook. The President said he would be imposing a tariff of 100% on computer chips and semiconductors, while announcing that Apple would invest $100 billion in the U.S. Mr Trump had reportedly told European allies on Wednesday that he would have an in-person meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin as early as next week and had plans for a follow-up with Mr. Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Also, on Wednesday, Mr. Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Mr. Putin on Wednesday. Talks 'productive' Mr. Trump described the talks as 'productive' and said he did not know if the additional tariffs on India had anything to do with this. 'And as you know, we put a 50% tariff on India on oil. They're the second largest [purchaser of Russian oil]. They're very close to China in terms of the purchase of oil from Russia. So, I don't know if that had anything to do with it, but we've had very productive talks today,' he said. After imposing additional tariffs on India for trading in arms and energy with Russia, U.S. President Donald Trump said other countries could follow suit, suggesting China by name as a possibility. Asked why he was 'singling India out' for additional tariffs, Mr. Trump said, 'It's only been eight hours. So let's see what happens over the… You're going to see a lot more. You're going to see so much secondary sanctions,' he said.
Time of India
32 minutes ago
- Time of India
SC judges take exception to order against HC judge
NEW DELHI: Top judges of Supreme Court have taken strong exception to the order passed on Tuesday by a bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan castigating an Allahabad high court judge for lack of knowledge in criminal law and de-rostering him from hearing criminal cases for life, and are mulling steps to remedy an unpleasant situation created in breach of repeated SC rulings. A concerned Chief Justice of India B R Gavai consulted his senior colleagues and is now discussing ways and means to remedy the order that has created difficulties for the chief justice (CJ) of one of the oldest high courts of India, at Allahabad. SC has repeatedly ruled that the CJ of an HC is the master of the roster and he alone can allocate, roster and assign cases to single, division and three-judge benches in HC and that his discretion is not amenable to judicial orders. Justices Pardiwala and Mahadevan ordered the Allahabad HC CJ to "immediately withdraw the present criminal determination from the concerned judge" and "make the judge sit in a division bench with a seasoned senior judge". They also said, "We further direct that the concerned judge shall not be assigned any criminal determination, till he demits office". Irrespective of the folly of the HC judge, SC, which gives primacy to principles of natural justice, passed the caustic and damaging order against the judge without giving him an opportunity to explain why he passed the impugned directive. Justices Pardiwala and Mahadevan called the HC judge's order one of the worst they had come across in their tenures as SC judges, and said, "The judge concerned has not only cut a sorry figure for himself but has made a mockery of justice. We are at our wits' end to understand what is wrong with the Indian judiciary at the level of HC." TOI spoke to a number of former CJIs, who too expressed concern over the manner in which the bench led by Justice Pardiwala proceeded to castigate the HC judge, stressing that errors in HC orders are not uncommon and are regularly appealed in SC. A judge's mistake in appreciating legal points or facts in a particular case cannot empower SC, while deciding appeals against an HC judgment, to castigate the judge who authored that judgment and take punitive measures like de-rostering him, which, the ex-CJIs said, was the sole prerogative of the HC CJ. Incidentally, the bench of Justices Pardiwala and Mahadevan had fixed timelines for the President and governors to grant or refuse assent to bills passed by state assemblies, while granting "deemed approval" to bills pending with the TN governor. The President has since sent a reference to SC seeking its opinion on whether the apex court has the power to fix timelines for her and governors when the Constitution does not provide for the same, and whether SC can use powers under Article 142 to grant deemed approval to bills. In the case of Braj Kishore Thakur vs. Union of India (1997), SC had ruled: "Higher courts must remind themselves constantly that higher tiers are provided in the judicial hierarchy to set right errors which could possibly have crept in findings or orders of courts at the lower tiers. Such powers are certainly not for belching diatribe at judicial personages in lower cadre. It is best to remember the words of a jurist that 'a judge who has not committed any error is yet to be born'. .." In Rajasthan vs Prakash Chand (1997), another three-judge bench said "that the administrative control of HC vests in the chief justice alone. On the judicial side, however, he is only the first amongst equals. The CJ is the master of the roster. He alone has the prerogative to constitute benches of the court and allocate cases to the benches so constituted. The puisne judges can only do that work as is allotted to them by the chief justice or under his directions. No judge or judges can give directions to the Registry for listing any case before him or them which runs counter to the directions given by the chief justice." This ruling was made applicable to SC by a three-judge bench's judgment in 2018.
