....And so ended Gautam Gambhir's tryst with the English domestic circuit. Those who had expected the elegant southpaw to roar back to form will certainly be left sorely disappointed in the light of his abysmal performances.
Even the slightest traces of the tenacious warrior who single-handedly foiled the Kiwis in conditions that would have been the undoing of even the best of batsmen seem to have vanished into thin smoke.
His sound technique cobbled with a wide array of strokes in his repertoire vaulted Gambhir into the league of the best in an extremely short span of time. So how is it that Gambhir, despite his proven exploits and immense ability, finds himself in a more than just a wee bit of bother?
In hindsight, one would have to say that the cracks in his technique became evident for the first time in South Africa when India toured the country in 2010-11. Although he came up with a sterling, albeit defensive, effort in the last Test of the series to foil South Africa's bid for a series victory, Gambhir had been anything but comfortable at the crease for the better part of the series.
What followed the Test series of South Africa was a haze as India, riding on the crest of the wave, won the 2011 World Cup, thanks to a magnificent knock under pressure by Gambhir. But, to Gambhir, the heady high success of the 2011 World Cup was nothing but interim relief.
His woeful form followed him to England and refused to let go of his patron even in Australia. The Indian selectors could have overlooked his abysmal performances in England and Australia had he only shown that he was indeed worth his salt in home conditions. But, Gambhir let that ship sail too.
A dismal show in the series against England saw him being axed from the Test squad. To add to his already innumerable woes, Murali Vijay managed to keep the faith of the selectors by churning two tons and ending up as the highest run-getter in the series. Not that Vijay is in a very comfortable position right now.
An unimpressive show with the India 'A' contingent in South Africa has definitely cast a doubt on his abilities. Selectors, who were, not many months ago convinced that they had finally found the perfect solution to the openers dilemma, are now likely to be mulling over alternatives.
With the door firmly closed on Gambhir, whom do the selectors turn to if they so choose to replace Vijay? Ajinkya Rahane is sure to be at the forefront of their minds seeing as how he has spent nearly three years waiting on the sidelines. He went unnoticed in his Test debut but if he is given an opportunity, will certainly look to make amends.
But considering India's dismal performances in its foreign campaigns recently, would the selectors be prepared to send someone as inexperienced as Rahane into alien conditions? If the selectors choose to play it safe, then they are likely to fall back on the mercurial Virender Sehwag, who despite his many shortcomings, remains a dangerous customer.
The fact that Sehwag scored a ton on his debut in South Africa too is likely to weigh heavily on the minds of the selectors. The swashbuckling right-hander, who fell out of favour with the selectors following his below-par performance in the series against Australia will be yearning to make a comeback to the Indian side.
Shikhar Dhawan, who despite the delay in the introduction to the Indian side, managed to cement his spot in the place with one blazing display. It can be stated, with no ambiguity whatsoever, that he is the only opener whose spot in the Indian contingent is assured for the tour of South Africa.