Gautam Gambhir made his first class debut in the 1999-2000 Ranji season, and in his second match came within sniffing distance of the three figure mark, running himself out on 73 against Karnataka. It was Delhi's last engagement in the Super League and the defeat knocked them out of the competition. Gambhir's search for his maiden century was thus put on hold. But the moment was not long in coming.

As captain of Delhi in the Cooch Behar Trophy for U19s, Gambhir missed the early part of the 2000-2001 first class season. Returning to the Ranji side, he made a scanty 24 in an innings rout of Himachal Pradesh. Delhi's next fixture, an away game against Jammu & Kashmir at the Maulana Azad Stadium in Jammu, was thus Gambhir's fourth in first class cricket.

Winning the toss and choosing to bat, the hosts were bowled out for 198 on the opening day. Delhi openers Akash Chopra and Ashu Dani knocked up 79 without loss the same evening. Next morning, the first wicket partnership swelled to 175 before Dani's departure brought Gambhir to the wicket at his usual one-drop position. He entangled himself in three sucessive fifty partnerships, 66 with Chopra, 73 with Mithun Minhas and 97 with Virender Shewag.

In the process Gambhir knocked off his individual fifty, off 44 balls, and century off 92 balls, before falling to left arm seamer Surendra Singh for 114 (105 balls, 13 fours, 1 six). The score had mounted to 411 at that juncture and Delhi declared shortly afterwards at 466/5. Dismissing J&K a second time for 269, Delhi were left with a princely target of two runs in the fourth innings, a score they settled by ten wickets.