Cricket-Gambhir can emulate Indian great Gavaskar, says Sehwag

By N.Ananthanarayanan

KANPUR, India, Nov 24 (Reuters) - Gautam Gambhir has the talent to emulate Indian great Sunil Gavaskar, team mate Virender Sehwag said after he and his fellow opener stroked centuries against Sri Lanka on Tuesday.

Gambhir top-scored with 167 to reach triple figures in his fourth test in a row while Sehwag hit a chancy 131, his 16th test hundred, on the opening day of the second test.

Their blistering 233-run opening partnership helped the hosts pile up 417 for two, India's highest total in a day's play.

"Gambhir is one of the best openers after (Sunil) Gavaskar," he told reporters. "The way he is playing, he will become the next superstar of the Indian team," Sehwag told reporters.

Sehwag said he wanted Gambhir to better Gavaskar's record of nine hundreds in his first 30 tests. The former captain was the first player to aggregate 10,000 runs in tests and notch a then world record 34 centuries.

Australian Bradman holds the record for hundreds in consecutive tests -- six.

In-form Gambhir, who scored his eighth hundred, is playing in his 27th test and his hit seven centuries in the last nine games.

Sehwag dug in after being dropped in the first over off paceman Chanaka Welegedara, after skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni had opted to bat first.