This is the next in the series on 'My Favourite Cricketers'......
The greatest contribution Sunil Gavaskar made to Indian Cricket was not many batting world records, but the confidence to compete on equal terms with the best teams in the world. Till he came along Indian teams were considered 'soft' and the perception was that Indian batsmen just buckle down under genuine quick bowling. He was a thorough professional and he instilled professionalism in the team. He always insisted on getting properly compensated for his services - be it advertisements, or writing columns. Many people ridiculed that as being 'greedy' but he showed that top players make the game popular and they should be valued. Now all this has become a norm. With his polished manners and superb communication skills he was a great ambassador for Indian Cricket.
He stood up to the quickest bowlers in the world and started a tradition of great Indian batsmen who became the best in the world. He was succeeded by Sachin, Dravid, Laxman, Sehwag and now Kohli.
The 'Little Master' paved the way for the 'Master Blasters'.
He burst on the scene in the tour of West Indies in 1971. He scored 774 runs in 4 tests, a world record for a debutant. To the Indian Cricket fans who had mostly idolized players who could be brilliant on their day but were inconsistent, here was a world beater.
His technique was impeccable, his concentration impregnable, his thirst for runs and records unquenchable. He took on the West Indian pace battery, Lillee, Pascoe, John Snow, Willis and Botham, Hadlee, Imran and Surfaraz and all other fast men and scored tons of runs against them. And he never wore a helmet. Only in one series he wore a skull-cap. He played and opened the batting in an era when there were perhaps the best fast bowlers in the history of the game. There was no restriction on the number of bouncers. And his own team hardly ever had anyone quick enough to dish out the treatment to the opposition. For a large part of his career he carried the batting, till people like Vengsarkar, Mohinder Amarnath, Azharuddin came along.
He was a very shrewd skipper too, though a somewhat defensive one. His last captaincy stint in the 'World Championship of Cricket' in 1985 was just brilliant.
Some of his innings rank among the best ever played in the annals of the game. His last test inning in Test Cricket was an absolutely brilliant 96 on a minefield of a wicket. Imran Khan described that as one of the best he ever saw and said 'Gavaskar gave us a lesson on how to play with a bat on that sqaure turner'. In his last first class game MCC vs Rest of World, Gavaskar scored a superp 180 at Lord's.
When he retired, everyone was asking 'Why is he leaving now?'. His timing of retirement was impeccable too.
We as kids in the eighties were obsessed with Gavaskar's batting records......things like how many times he had scored a 1000 runs in a calendar year, how many times he scored a century in both innings of a Test, number of hundred, his record against West Indies etc etc. In the era of mostly drawn tests, and very rare wins, that was our favorite pastime.
As a player, Gavaskar always fought for the players, fought for better remuneration for the players, better facilities. It is a bit disappointing that the same man on retirement has become a 'establishment man'. He is one of the commentators on the BCCI payroll now, and supports most of their absurd stands, like being anti-DRS. He is very careful not to ruffle the feathers of the high and mighty in the BCCI. For a man of his stature, that is not what one expects from him.
Leaving that aside, Sunny has made a great transition into Cricket commentary and has become an elder statesman of the game. He is a hugely respected figure in the Cricket world. Recently Supreme Court of India decided that he should be the interim president of the BCCI while they probe the match-fixing allegations.
'Sunny' Gavaskar has given us many many sunny and happy memories from our childhood. Each of his centuries has warmed our hearts and brightened our days. As long as Gavaskar was at the crease, India was still in the game................
The greatest contribution Sunil Gavaskar made to Indian Cricket was not many batting world records, but the confidence to compete on equal terms with the best teams in the world. Till he came along Indian teams were considered 'soft' and the perception was that Indian batsmen just buckle down under genuine quick bowling. He was a thorough professional and he instilled professionalism in the team. He always insisted on getting properly compensated for his services - be it advertisements, or writing columns. Many people ridiculed that as being 'greedy' but he showed that top players make the game popular and they should be valued. Now all this has become a norm. With his polished manners and superb communication skills he was a great ambassador for Indian Cricket.
The 'Little Master' paved the way for the 'Master Blasters'.
He burst on the scene in the tour of West Indies in 1971. He scored 774 runs in 4 tests, a world record for a debutant. To the Indian Cricket fans who had mostly idolized players who could be brilliant on their day but were inconsistent, here was a world beater.
His technique was impeccable, his concentration impregnable, his thirst for runs and records unquenchable. He took on the West Indian pace battery, Lillee, Pascoe, John Snow, Willis and Botham, Hadlee, Imran and Surfaraz and all other fast men and scored tons of runs against them. And he never wore a helmet. Only in one series he wore a skull-cap. He played and opened the batting in an era when there were perhaps the best fast bowlers in the history of the game. There was no restriction on the number of bouncers. And his own team hardly ever had anyone quick enough to dish out the treatment to the opposition. For a large part of his career he carried the batting, till people like Vengsarkar, Mohinder Amarnath, Azharuddin came along.
He was a very shrewd skipper too, though a somewhat defensive one. His last captaincy stint in the 'World Championship of Cricket' in 1985 was just brilliant.
Some of his innings rank among the best ever played in the annals of the game. His last test inning in Test Cricket was an absolutely brilliant 96 on a minefield of a wicket. Imran Khan described that as one of the best he ever saw and said 'Gavaskar gave us a lesson on how to play with a bat on that sqaure turner'. In his last first class game MCC vs Rest of World, Gavaskar scored a superp 180 at Lord's.
When he retired, everyone was asking 'Why is he leaving now?'. His timing of retirement was impeccable too.
We as kids in the eighties were obsessed with Gavaskar's batting records......things like how many times he had scored a 1000 runs in a calendar year, how many times he scored a century in both innings of a Test, number of hundred, his record against West Indies etc etc. In the era of mostly drawn tests, and very rare wins, that was our favorite pastime.
As a player, Gavaskar always fought for the players, fought for better remuneration for the players, better facilities. It is a bit disappointing that the same man on retirement has become a 'establishment man'. He is one of the commentators on the BCCI payroll now, and supports most of their absurd stands, like being anti-DRS. He is very careful not to ruffle the feathers of the high and mighty in the BCCI. For a man of his stature, that is not what one expects from him.
Leaving that aside, Sunny has made a great transition into Cricket commentary and has become an elder statesman of the game. He is a hugely respected figure in the Cricket world. Recently Supreme Court of India decided that he should be the interim president of the BCCI while they probe the match-fixing allegations.
'Sunny' Gavaskar has given us many many sunny and happy memories from our childhood. Each of his centuries has warmed our hearts and brightened our days. As long as Gavaskar was at the crease, India was still in the game................
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