'Kapil somehow managed to get champagne. We were in Ahmedabad, it’s a dry place': Gavaskar recalls 'magical' Test feat

Joe Root still has a long way to go if he wants to surpass Sachin Tendulkar's all-time record of 15,921 Test runs. But first cricketer to achieve the 10,000 Test runs milestone was India's Sunil Gavaskar.

Joe Root on Sunday became just the 14th batter to gather 10,000 Test runs when he touched the milestone during his match-winning 115 not out against New Zealand at Lord's. The 31-year-old Yorkshire player, who stepped down as England captain this year, became the second England player after his former teammate Alastair Cook to reach the landmark.

Sunil Gavaskar (L) and Kapil Dev (Getty Images)

Root still has a long way to go if he wants to surpass Sachin Tendulkar's all-time record of 15,921 Test runs. The first cricketer to achieve this milestone was India's Sunil Gavaskar, who is widely regarded as one of the finest to have played the sport. In his illustrious spell with the Indian team, Gavaskar amassed 10,122 Test runs including 34 hundreds in 125 matches.

It was in 1987 when the batting great became the first player to reach the 10,000 run mark in Test cricket. The 'Little Master' scored 63 versus Pakistan but the play was halted when he reached 58, with the crowd in Ahmedabad mobbing him in the middle of the stadium.

Gavaskar had told The Indian Express about the 'magical' moment, saying he was peeking at the scoreboard before putting himself within touching distance of the landmark.

“I knew that I needed 57 runs. I normally don’t look at the scoreboard. But once you reach a 50, you get applause. At that stage you realise. If I’m not mistaken I got to my 50 with a single. So I was aware that now 7 more runs,” Gavaskar told the newspaper.

“Once you get to that 10,000 it is absolutely magical. Magical because it had not been done before. Even 9,000 had not been done before, and I did it. But 9,000 is a four-digit number. 10,000 is a five-digit number, so it was almost like climbing Mt Everest for the first time."

In the celebrations that followed Gavaskar's unique Test feat, champagne took the centre stage. The former India captain revealed how Kapil Dev arranged it with special permission in Ahmedabad, which is a part of Gujarat -- a dry state since its inception six decades ago.

“It was a slightly dazed feeling. But the thing I remember most is that we were in Ahmedabad. And it’s a dry place. But Kapil somehow managed to get some champagne! That was amazing. He was the captain, and he organized, with special permission, of course, to get some champagne,” said Gavaskar.