Gambhir, the eligible batsman

NEW DELHI: Gautam Gambhir termed the just-concluded India-Australia tri-series the “turning point” of his career. Well, it may be the turning point of the swashbuckler’s life as well.

There certainly are a lot of perks for a successful batsman of a successful team and Gautam’s grandma Asha Gulati will vouch for this. The phone at the Gambhirs’ Karol Bagh home in Delhi hasn’t stopped ringing ever since he scored that impressive 113 off 119 balls in the Sydney ODI.

On the other end of the line are eager parents willing to offer their daughters’ hands in marriage to the batsman who has been suddenly elevated to the ‘oh-so-eligible’ bachelor status.

“We have been getting marriage proposals for Gautam, the phone just keeps buzzing,” Asha says.

But what’s Gautam’s response? “Our boy is very simple, he doesn’t even have any girlfriends. We keep nudging him on this topic, but he always says marriage can wait for another three years. He is very serious about his game for now. Cricket is his life,” she says.

Gambhir’s welcome home on Thursday is going to be a simple affair. “His celebration will be planned in consultation with him. All our neighbours are seeking a treat, we may give them one,” Asha says.

The only demand that the cricketer has made is “ghar ki roti, aur rajma”, which Asha would be preparing herself.