Indian aggressive opener Gautam Gambhir has won the Castrol Indian Cricketer of the Year Award for 2008 after edging out his Delhi opening partner Virender Sehwag. Gambhir was given was a trophy and a cash reward of Rs 5 lakh in a grand function in Mumbai on Thursday.

Gambhir turned out a trump card for Indian team in last few years as he contributed significantly in the winning sojourn of the men in blue. Gambhir scored more than 1,000 runs in both Tests and ODI matches in 2008.

Speaking to the media, Gambhir said that he had never thought of scoring 1000 runs in test and one day matches as at one time he was even looking doubtful to make in the Indian test squad. He added that test series against Sri Lanka was turning point of his carrier in the test matches.

Meanwhile, Sehwag and Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni were selected for the Test and One-Day cricketer of the year award respectively. The cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid were named for special awards for making world records.