India's batting great Sunil Gavaskar turns 72 on July 10, 2021. The original 'Little Master' redefined batting in his heyday. Facing legendary bowlers with being intimidated, the right-hander scores heaps of runs and shattered multiple batting records.
As he celebrates his special day in the UK, as he is there for the commentary assignment for the upcoming India-England Test series, the Indian cricketers have taken to Twitter to send their best to birthday boy Gavaskar. From Virender Sehwag and Wasim Jaffer to VVS Laxman, take a look at how his Indian cricket fraternity have remembered the great man.
Gavaskar is considered one of the finest Test batsmen of all time, right up there with the likes of Sir Don Bradman, Allan Border, Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar. The first man to score 10,000 runs on Test cricket, Gavaskar scored 10,122 runs from 125 Tests at an average of 51.12. His tally of 34 centuries was the most, a record that stood tall for almost two decades before being broken by Tendulkar.
{{/usCountry}}Gavaskar is considered one of the finest Test batsmen of all time, right up there with the likes of Sir Don Bradman, Allan Border, Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar. The first man to score 10,000 runs on Test cricket, Gavaskar scored 10,122 runs from 125 Tests at an average of 51.12. His tally of 34 centuries was the most, a record that stood tall for almost two decades before being broken by Tendulkar.
{{/usCountry}}Gavaskar's 774 runs against West Indies still stands as the highest runs by a batsman in a debut series. Earning his India cap in 1971, against the mighty West Indies, Gavaskar hit four centuries and three fifties with a best of 220 and average of 154.80. Gavaskar was the first batsman to score centuries in both innings of a Test match thrice. Widely regarded as the best opening batsman of all time, Gavaskar made a career out of scoring runs against tough oppositions, especially against West Indies against whom he averaged 65.45, having scored 13 centuries.
In 1983, Gavaskar was part of India's World Cup win, although his ODI record could never touch the high of his Test career, also because the 50-over format wasn't as played much during his time. And yet, Gavaskar scored 3092 runs from 120 ODIs for India between 1974 and 1987. Till the year 2000, Gavaskar was only one of the six Test opening batsmen to have scored more than 3000 runs at an average in excess of 50. Gavaskar's average of 58.25 is the second best of all time for a player with minimum 1000 runs.
A recipient of the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan, Gavaskar was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame in 2009 and three years later, was awarded the Col CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award for Cricket in India.