Martin Guptill

When you think about Martin Guptill, the first thing that comes to your mind is fearlessness and the approach with which he plays limited-overs cricket. One of the most astonishing stroke makers of the modern generation, Guptill is one of that rare breed of batsmen who has smashed a double century in 50 overs cricket. His knock of 237 came against West Indies in the 2015 World Cup quarter-final and the knock oozed class. 

Despite his exploits in white-ball cricket, Guptill has never really managed to cement his place in the Test side. For a batsman who plays some astonishing shots with the straight bat, it definitely comes as a surprise that Guptill hasn’t quite managed to make a mark in Tests. The most important and notable reason is his tendency to play with a hard hand. The red cherry has quite more on offer for the fast bowlers and Guptill has never really managed to find his feet at the Test level. 

Touted as the next big thing in New Zealand cricket, Guptill has been entrusted time and again by the New Zealand selectors but he hasn’t managed to fulfill his talent in the longest format. He last played a Test match way back in 2016 and a return looks highly impossible. However he has established himself as a top-class limited-overs player and despite some poor returns on a few occasions, the New Zealand selectors have time and again persisted with him. 

Early on in his career, Guptill had shown that he has it him to dominate all formats especially after winning the Richard Hadlee Medal in 2011-12. He was also named the ODI and T20 Player of the Year at the New Zealand cricket awards and on the back of some stellar showing in 2015-16, Guptill claimed the award back after missing out in the next two years. He was the 3rd highest run-scorer in the 2015 World Cup finishing with 547 runs just behind legends Kumar Sangakkara and AB de Villiers. 

Tragedy struck Guptill at the tender age of 14 when he suffered a forklift accident which resulted in him losing 3 toes on his foot. However, Guptill put that incident behind him and started honing his skills which eventually paved way for his inclusion in the New Zealand side for the U 19 World Cup in Sri Lanka. 

The free-flowing stroke maker first came into prominence in the 2007-08 season when he topped the State Shied run charts. He took Auckland to the final of the tournament and carried on his rich vein of form in the Emerging Players Tournament in Australia finishing as New Zealand’s highest run-scorer. It eventually paved way for his inclusion in the New Zealand A side in both ODI’s and Tests. 

Guptill had a relatively poor run in the 2019 World Cup as per his standards. However, the New Zealand team management showed faith in him and was asked to bat in the Super over of the final against England. He fell agonizingly close to reaching his mark and was run out as New Zealand lost the final on the basis of boundary count. Guptill’s enigmatic strokeplay makes him one of the most sought after names in T20 leagues across the globe. As far as IPL is concerned, he has played a handful of matches for the Sunrisers Hyderabad.