Is Sehwag the reason for Gambhir's slump in form?

Not long ago he was the mainstay of Indian cricket in all 3 forms of the game. And someone was even gutsy enough to call him the 'Second Wall' of Indian cricket. When he stepped out of the crease in his inimitable style, he would invariably middle the ball with all the sweetness. He showed loads of patience sticking around the wicket for long periods of play, that was so unusual of him. The same patience earned India a draw in the 2nd test in New Zealand recently. He followed that innings up with another masterly 167 in the 3rd test.

Yet, when one looks back at his batting since the end of NZ series, one wonders what has gone wrong for Gambhir. A few stats tell the story of Gautam in recent times.

T20 Format:

World Cup - Played 5 matches for 148 runs at an average of 29.6 and SR of 109.62 (with only one score above 50)

IPL - Played 15 matches for 286 runs at an average of 22 and SR of 102.87 (with only one score above 50)

ODI Format:

Vs WI - scores of 13, 0 in the first two matches.

One of the prime reasons why India didn't do too well in the T20 World Cup is Gambhir's failure with the bat and he could have done much better than his average of 22 and strike rate of 102 considering the form he had been in, in recent times.

A much bigger problem than the stats seems to be his inability to strike and time the ball at will, that has been so much his strength. The silken leg side flicks coming off the middle of the bat are missing, the pull shots are mistimed and he is not sticking at the wicket for longer periods. So, then what is it that is baffling Gautham Gambhir - Is it the fatigue of playing too much cricket? Is it because of a lack of focus and concentration that was so much his strength until recently? I have a strong feeling that it is the absence of Virender Sehwag, his partner for more than a year now in all three forms of the game, that is causing a flutter or two in his batting. He derived so much strength and encouragement from Sehwag, who is also his Dellhi teammate, that Sehwag's mere presence lifted Gambhir's game. So much so that, he would score faster than Sehwag on a few occasions. Sehwag being the Vice Captain also probably helped give the needed confidence to him that he would get much longer look-in than a game or two. With Sehwag being sidelined due to an injury, all of that confidence seems to have gone.

It may not be such a big worry after all. It could just be a temporary loss of form or just sheer coincidence that Sehwag is out of the team for some reason and Gambhir has started hitting a trough in form. But, certainly there is need for someone in the team management, a senior player and ideally the captain, to tell him that he is too important a player in the team's scheme of things to be sidelined in the absence of Sehwag. Gambhir needs to be given the confidence and nurtured well for the sake of India's prospects in all three forms of the game. He is such a wonderful talent, once he has the backing of the team management, can blossom and can play a significant role in lifting India's chances.