One of the best batters in cricket, Sunil Gavaskar, would prefer to take things day by day, just as he did when he dealt with cunning spinners and speed merchants one ball at a time. The former captain of India, the first person to climb “Mount 10,000” in Test cricket, will turn 75 this summer and will always be associated with the willow game. He keeps this umbilical tie both as a broadcaster and as a player, having bowed out in 1987.
When my kids met my hero!!! Happy 75th Birthday to the man who inspired legends. #SunilGavaskar ji May god bless you with great health and long life. pic.twitter.com/A7ggyTUoLR
— Riteish Deshmukh (@Riteishd) July 10, 2024
Early Days and Rise to Stardom
Many in the younger age could prefer to completely identify him with that role because they have only seen him in that capacity as a pundit. Even Richie Benaud had to deal with this reality. Perhaps there is recency bias at work, in these days of shortened. To those who witnessed him bat, however, Gavaskar seemed to be at the crease for eternity. He was that classic deposit in a reputable bank in this day of flash-and-dash, from the openers to the middle-order to the finishers.
Hope was eternal, and money was secure. India believed it had a chance when he batted with middle-order mainstays like G.R. Viswanath, Vengsarkar, and Mohinder, as well as fellow openers the late Chetan Chauhan, Anshuman Gaekwad, or K. Srikkanth. All-rounder Kapil Dev also chipped in. Gavaskar had steely resolution and a straight bat as second nature. Towards the end of his career, the opener briefly tried wearing a skull cap, making him one of the rare players, along with the legendary Viv Richards, to bat without a helmet.
Breaking Records and Setting Standards
When he retired, the stats were astounding: 10,122 Test runs and 34 hundreds. a single ton and 3,092 ODIs in yield. and a total of 25,834 in First-Class accumulation. According to the Test statistic, Mumbaikar Sachin Tendulkar is ranked first, and Gavaskar is ranked thirteenth. Gavaskar could dismantle the most potent attacks when the mood struck. He once achieved this in Delhi, matching Sir Don Bradman’s then-world record of 29 Test hundreds. In 1983, he was having an affair with Malcolm Marshall. When he earned his big break, the star was unaware of it until non-striker Vengsarkar exclaimed, “Bleddy hell, you did it.”
Gavaskar is frequently the last word on batsmanship because he is now a busy commentator. Off the field, he is full of anecdotes, has a mischievous sense of humor, volunteers extensively, particularly for elderly athletes, and, because badminton is a favorite sport of his, he tends to become reverent while discussing Prakash Padukone. Wishing you a happy birthday, Master, and many more magical years of cricket in the future.