Former cricketer Gautam Gambhir pads up for political innings, joins BJP
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BJP sources said Gambhir may be fielded from the New Delhi constituency.
Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir has joined Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
The announcement was made in the presence of Union Ministers Arun Jaitley and Ravi Shankar Prasad.
BJP sources said Gambhir is likely to be fielded from the New Delhi constituency, currently represented by Meenakshi Lekhi.
However, a final decision is yet to be taken, they added.
After joining the party, Gambhir said, "I am joining this party(BJP) after getting influenced by PM Narendra Modi's vision. I am honoured to get the opportunity to join this platform."
Earlier this month, Gambhir was honoured with the Padma Shri award for his contribution to the world of cricket.
Delhi: Former Cricketer Gautam Gambhir joins Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) in the presence of Union Ministers Arun Jaitley and Ravi Shankar Prasad pic.twitter.com/EYmhfSSMy7
— ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2019
In his cricketing career, Gambhir earned 58 Test caps and scored nine centuries and 22 fifties in the Test format.
The left-handed batsman announced his retirement in the year 2018 after completing 10,000 runs in List-A cricket.
Gambhir's performance in the finals of the 2007 T20 World Cup final against Pakistan and the 2011 World Cup final against Sri Lanka helped India win both the titles.