Sunil Gavaskar

Sunil Manohar "Sunny" Gavaskar:-born 10 July 1949 in Bombay, Maharashtra), is a former cricketer who played during the 1970s and 1980s for Bombay and India. Widely regarded as one of the greatest opening batsmen in test match history, Gavaskar set world records during his career for the most runs and most centuries scored by any batsman. He held the record of 34 Test centuries for almost two decades before it was broken by Sachin Tendulkar in December 2005.

Gavaskar was widely admired for his technique against fast bowling, with a particularly high average of 65.45 against the West Indies, who possessed a four-pronged fast bowling attack regarded as the most vicious in Test history. His captaincy of the Indian team, however, was less successful. The team at one stage went 31 Test matches without a victory. There were incidents like crowd displeasure at Eden Gardens in Calcutta leading to multiple matches being disrupted, in response to the poor performance of the Indian team. Turbulent performances of the team lead to multiple exchanges of captaincy between Gavaskar and Kapil Dev, with one of Gavaskar's sackings coming just six months before Kapil led India to victory at the 1983 Cricket World Cup.

Sunil Gavaskar

Personal information
Full name	Sunil Manohar Gavaskar
Born	10 July 1949 (1949-07-10) (age 60) Bombay, Maharashtra, India
Nickname	Sunny
Height	5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)
Batting style	Right-hand batsman
Bowling style	Right-arm medium
Role	Opening batsman
Relations	MK Mantri (uncle), RS Gavaskar (son)
International information
National side	India
Test debut (cap 128)	6 March 1971 v West Indies
Last Test	13 March 1987 v Pakistan
ODI debut (cap 4)	13 July 1974 v England
Last ODI	5 November 1987 v England
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1967/68–1986/87	Bombay
1980	Somerset
Career statistics
Competition	Test	ODI	FC	List A
Matches	125	108	348	151
Runs scored	10122	3092	25834	4594
Batting average	51.12	35.13	51.46	36.17
100s/50s	34/45	1/27	81/105	5/37
Top score	236*	103*	340	123
Balls bowled	380	20	1953	108
Wickets	1	1	22	2
Bowling average	206.00	25.00	56.36	40.50
5 wickets in innings	0	0	0	0
10 wickets in match	0	n/a	0	n/a
Best bowling	1/34	1/10	3/43	1/10
Catches/stumpings	108/–	22/–	293/–	37/–
Source: CricketArchive, 5 September 2008

Domestic debut:

Growing up in Mumbai, Gavaskar was named India's Best Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year in 1966. After scoring 246*, 222 and 85 in school cricket in his final year of secondary education, before striking a century against the touring London schoolboys. He made his first-class debut for Vazir Sultan Colts XI against an XI from Dungarpur, in 1966/67, but remained in Bombay's Ranji Trophy squad for two further years without playing a match. He made his debut in the 1968/69 season against Karnataka, but made a duck and was the subject of derisive claims that his selection was due to the presence of his uncle Madhav Mantri, a former Indian Test wicketkeeper on Bombay's selection committee. He responded with 114 against Rajasthan in his second match, and two further consecutive centuries saw him selected in the 1970/71 Indian team to tour the West Indies. He is the first batsman to score 10,000 runs

Test debut:

A diminutive player, Gavaskar stood at just 165 cm. After missing the First Test due to an infected fingernail, Gavaskar scored 61 and 67 not out in the second Test in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, hitting the winning runs which gave India its first ever win over the West Indies. He followed this with his first century, 116 and 64* in the Third Test in Georgetown, Guyana, and 1 and 117* in the Fourth Test in Bridgetown, Barbados. He returned to Trinidad for the fifth Test and scored 124 and 220 to help India to its first ever series victory over the West Indies, and the only one until 2006. His performance in the Test made him the second player after Doug Walters to score a century and double century in the same match. He also became the first Indian to make four centuries in one Test series, the second Indian after Vijay Hazare to score two centuries in the same Test, and the third after Hazare and Polly Umrigar to score centuries in three consecutive innings. He was the first Indian to aggregate more than 700 runs in a series, and this 774 runs at 154.80 remains the most runs scored in a debut series by any batsman.Trinidad Calypso singer Lord Relator (Willard Harris) wrote a song in Gavaskar's honour.

Gavaskar’s arrival in England in 1971 for a three Test series generated substantial publicity in light of his debut series. He was unable to maintain his performance, making only two half centuries. He was involved in controversy when taking a quick single from the bowling of John Snow. They collided and Gavaskar fell over. Snow was suspended. Gavaskar’s 144 runs at the low average of 24 led some to question Gavaskar’s worthiness in international cricket.

In 1972-73, England toured India for a five Test series, Gavaskar’s first on home soil. He was ineffective in the first three Tests, accumulating only sixty runs in five innings as India took a 2-1 lead. He scored some runs in the final two Tests which India drew to complete consecutive series wins over England. His first home series was largely disappointing, aggregating 224 runs at 24.89. His English critics were placated when India returned in 1974 and Gavaskar scored 101 and 58 in the First Test at Old Trafford. He managed 227 runs at 37.83 as India were whitewashed 3-0.

Gavaskar’s 1974-75 Indian was interrupted, playing in only the First and Fifth and final Test of the series against the West Indies. He scored 108 runs at 27, with an 86 at Mumbai the closest the Indian public got to seeing a century. The Test was the start of a world record streak of 106 Test appearances.

The 1975-76 season saw three and four Test tours of New Zealand and the West Indies respectively. Gavaskar led India in a Test for the first time in January 1976 against New Zealand during the First Test in Auckland when regular captain Bishen Bedi was suffering from a leg injury. Standing in despite having scored only 703 runs at 28.12 since his debut series, Gavaskar rewarded the selectors with 116 and 35*. As a result, India secured an eight wicket victory. He ended the series with 266 runs at 66.33. On the West Indian leg of the tour, Gavaskar scored consecutive centuries of 156 and 102 in the Second and Third Tests, both in Port of Spain, Trinidad. These were his third and fourth centuries at the grounds. In the Third Test, his 102 helped India post 4/406 to set a world record for the highest winning fourth innings score. The Indians’ mastery of the Caribbean spinners on a turning track reportedly led West Indian captain Clive Lloyd to vow that he would rely on pace alone in future Tests. Gavaskar totalled 390 runs at 55.71 for the series.

Gavaskar was not to score a century on home soil until November 1976. In an eight Test summer, three and five against New Zealand and England respectively, Gavaskar scored centuries in the first and last Tests of the season. The first was 119 in front of his home crowd at the Wankhede Stadium in Bombay, helping India to a victory. Gavaskar scored another half century in the Second Test to end the series with 259 at 43.16. In the First Test against England at Delhi, he was mobbed upon becoming the first Indian to reach 1000 Test runs a calendar year. A steady series saw him finish with 394 runs at 39.4 with a century coming in Fifth Test at Mumbai and two half centuries.

In 1977-78 he toured Australia, scoring three consecutive Test centuries (113, 127, 118) in the second innings of the first three Tests at Brisbane, Perth and Melbourne respectively. India won the third but lost the earlier two. He finished the Five Test series with 450 runs at 50, failing twice as India lost the final Test and the series 3-2.

1978-79 saw India tour Pakistan for the first series between the arch rivals for 17 years. For the first time Gavaskar faced Pakistani captain and pace spearhead Imran Khan, who described him as “The most compact batsman I’ve bowled to.” Gavaskar scored 89 in the First Test and 97 in the Second, which India drew and lost respectively. Gavaskar saved his best for the Third Test in Karachi, scoring 111 and 137 in the Third, but was unable to prevent a defeat and series loss. His twin centuries made him the first Indian to score two centuries in one Test on two occasions, and saw him pass Umrigar as India’s leading Test runscorer. Gavaskar had finished the series with 447 runs at 89.40

International farewell:

In 1985-86, India toured Australia, playing against a team in a poor form slump. India were unable to capitalise as all three Tests were drawn, but Gavaskar did. He scored an unbeaten 166 in the First Test in Adelaide and 172 in the Third Test in Sydney, ending the series with 352 runs at 117.33. A three Test tour of England saw him score only 185 runs at 30.83, which India won 2-0 despite his unproductivity. In 1986-87, Gavaskar’s final season in Test cricket, India faced a long season of eleven home Tests. Against a team as the worst to leave Australian shores, Gavaskar made 90 in the second innings of the First Test in Madras, giving India a chance of reach the target of 348, which ended in a tie. He scored 103 in the Third Test in Bombay to end the series with 205 runs at 51.66. The First Test against Sri Lanka in Kanpur saw Gavaskar’s 34th and final Test century of 176. He scored 74 and 5 in the next two Tests as India won the three match series 2-0. The five Test series against arch enemies Pakistan was to be his last. Gavaskar scored 91 in the drawn First Test in Madras before withdrawing from the Second Test in Calcutta as he had promised. In the Fourth Test in Ahmedabad, Gavaskar’s 63 made him the first batsman to pass 10,000 runs. With the teams locked 0-0 leading into the final Test in Bangalore, there was to be no fairytale. Gavaskar was dismissed for 96 in the second innings as India were bowled out to give Pakistan a 1-0 series win

Style:

Gavaskar was also a fine slip fielder and his safe catching in the slips helped him become the first Indian (excluding wicket-keepers) to take over a hundred catches in Test matches. In one ODI against Pakistan in Sharjah in 1985, he took four catches and helped India defend a small total of 125. Early in his Test career, when India rarely used pace bowlers, Gavaskar also opened the bowling for a short spell on occasions if only one pace bowler was playing, before a three-pronged spin attack took over. The only wicket claimed by him is that of Pakistani Zaheer Abbas in 1978-79.

While Gavaskar could not be described as an attacking batsman, he had the ability of keeping the scoreboard ticking with unique shots such as the "late flick". His focus of technical correctness over flair meant that his style of play was usually less suited to the shorter form of the game, at which he had less success. His renowned 36 not out in the 1975 World Cup, carrying his bat through the full 60 overs against England, lead Indian supporters to storm the field and confront him. Gavaskar almost went through his career without scoring a one-day century. He managed his first (and only ODI century) in the 1987 World Cup, when he hit 103 not out against New Zealand in his penultimate ODI innings at Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground, Nagpur

Outside cricket:

Gavaskar has also been awarded the Padma Bhushan. In December 1994 he was appointed the Sheriff of Mumbai, an honorary post, for a year. After retirement, he has been a popular, if sometimes controversial commentator, both on TV and in print. He has written four books on cricket – Sunny Days (autobiography), Idols, Runs n' Ruins and One Day Wonders. He also served as an advisor to the India national cricket team during the home series against Australia in 2004. He was the Chairman of the ICC cricket committee till the time he was forced to choose between commenting and being on the committee. He left the committee to continue his career as a broadcaster.

His son Rohan is also a cricketer who plays at the national level in the Ranji Trophy. He has played some One Day Internationals for India, but could not cement his spot in the team.

The Border-Gavaskar Trophy has been instituted in his (co-)honour.

Gavaskar also tried his hand at acting on the silver screen. He played the lead role in the Marathi movie "Premachi Saavli". The movie did not receive much appreciation though. After many years he appeared in a guest role in a Hindi movie "Maalamal". He has sung a Marathi song "Ya Duniyemadhye Thambayaala Vel Konala" which was written by noted Marathi lyricist Shantaram Nandgaonkar. The song depicted the similarities between a cricket match and real life. It had become popular.