Imran Khan rates him higher than Sachin Tendulkar. Even Tendulkar
considers him his mentor and idol. We are talking about the original
Little Master (pardon me but let me be blunt enough), who turns 67
today.
The legacy that Sunil Manohar Gavaskar left behind is unparalleled. A legend like Sunny cannot be assessed just in terms of statistics. Yes, he has many firsts to his name (10,000 runs, 34 100s and so on), but among all his major contributions to Indian cricket, one aspect that stands apart is his ‘audacity’ to stand up to the fastest of bowlers on the most inclement of tracks.
Till Gavaskar made his debut for India in 1971 against Gary Sobers’ West Indies, Indian batsmen’s vulnerability to anything pitched short was a household story. With due respect to the likes of Vijay Merchant, Vijay Hazare, Vijay Manjrekar, Polly Umrigar and a few others, the shivers down the spine was a common phenomenon when a batsman from the sub-continent saw a six-footer steaming in.
To a certain extent, Dilip Sardesai and Hanif Mohammed (Pakistan) were exceptions. But when it comes to a revolutionary change in the mindset of our batsmen against pace bowling, credit goes to Gavaskar for showing the path. A total of 774 runs in his first test series against West Indies on the latter’s soil was strong enough to send a positive signal.
What started in the Caribbean islands ended in 1987 at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai when Phillip DeFreitas uprooted his stumps in the all-important World Cup semi-final. As he was making his way back to the pavilion, there was pin-drop silence all over not only anticipating an Indian defeat but the hanging up of boots of perhaps the greatest opening batsman of all time.
Between this period, Gavaskar has had to single-handedly shoulder the burden of the Indian batting. Yes, he has had the support of GR Vishwanath, Mohinder Amarnath and Dilip Vengsarkar, but deep down an ardent Indian fan knew that it was only one man who could take charge when the chips were down.
A sight of Gavaskar without anything on the head facing Bob Willis, Denis Lillie, Jeff Thompson, Imran Khan, Andy Roberts among others is legendary. Those were the days when there was hardly any protection for batsmen. And Sunny shunned even the helmet to come up with 34 Test hundreds.
His 29th hundred against the Malcom Marshall-led-West Indian pace battery at the Feroz Shah Kotla in New Delhi, his 8th against West Indies at the Port of Spain Test that India won chasing over 400 on the final day, the double hundred against England at Oval that almost saw India through, it’s difficult to single out his best. And let’s not forget his last Test innings worth 96 against Pakistan at Bengaluru then called Bangalore on a turning track. Examples are aplenty.
If Sourav Ganguly taught India how to win abroad, he was simply building on the foundation laid by Gavaskar who instilled a positive thought process in his teammates and generations to follow: Never ever give in, no matter who you are facing.
Without delving into statistics and figures, Sunny’s service to Indian cricket can never be overshadowed. As somebody who has grown up watching the Little Master carrying the dreams of millions, here’s wishing
Happy Birthday to my God. To me and many of my contemporaries, there is only one God of Cricket. And he is the man born on July 10 in 1949.
Your legacy stands tall, God!
The legacy that Sunil Manohar Gavaskar left behind is unparalleled. A legend like Sunny cannot be assessed just in terms of statistics. Yes, he has many firsts to his name (10,000 runs, 34 100s and so on), but among all his major contributions to Indian cricket, one aspect that stands apart is his ‘audacity’ to stand up to the fastest of bowlers on the most inclement of tracks.
Till Gavaskar made his debut for India in 1971 against Gary Sobers’ West Indies, Indian batsmen’s vulnerability to anything pitched short was a household story. With due respect to the likes of Vijay Merchant, Vijay Hazare, Vijay Manjrekar, Polly Umrigar and a few others, the shivers down the spine was a common phenomenon when a batsman from the sub-continent saw a six-footer steaming in.
To a certain extent, Dilip Sardesai and Hanif Mohammed (Pakistan) were exceptions. But when it comes to a revolutionary change in the mindset of our batsmen against pace bowling, credit goes to Gavaskar for showing the path. A total of 774 runs in his first test series against West Indies on the latter’s soil was strong enough to send a positive signal.
What started in the Caribbean islands ended in 1987 at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai when Phillip DeFreitas uprooted his stumps in the all-important World Cup semi-final. As he was making his way back to the pavilion, there was pin-drop silence all over not only anticipating an Indian defeat but the hanging up of boots of perhaps the greatest opening batsman of all time.
Between this period, Gavaskar has had to single-handedly shoulder the burden of the Indian batting. Yes, he has had the support of GR Vishwanath, Mohinder Amarnath and Dilip Vengsarkar, but deep down an ardent Indian fan knew that it was only one man who could take charge when the chips were down.
A sight of Gavaskar without anything on the head facing Bob Willis, Denis Lillie, Jeff Thompson, Imran Khan, Andy Roberts among others is legendary. Those were the days when there was hardly any protection for batsmen. And Sunny shunned even the helmet to come up with 34 Test hundreds.
His 29th hundred against the Malcom Marshall-led-West Indian pace battery at the Feroz Shah Kotla in New Delhi, his 8th against West Indies at the Port of Spain Test that India won chasing over 400 on the final day, the double hundred against England at Oval that almost saw India through, it’s difficult to single out his best. And let’s not forget his last Test innings worth 96 against Pakistan at Bengaluru then called Bangalore on a turning track. Examples are aplenty.
If Sourav Ganguly taught India how to win abroad, he was simply building on the foundation laid by Gavaskar who instilled a positive thought process in his teammates and generations to follow: Never ever give in, no matter who you are facing.
Without delving into statistics and figures, Sunny’s service to Indian cricket can never be overshadowed. As somebody who has grown up watching the Little Master carrying the dreams of millions, here’s wishing
Happy Birthday to my God. To me and many of my contemporaries, there is only one God of Cricket. And he is the man born on July 10 in 1949.
Your legacy stands tall, God!
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