It was Gavaskar
De real master
Just like a wall
We couldn't out Gavaskar at all, not at all
You know the West Indies couldn't out Gavaskar at all !!
The calypso might sound redundant today but it mattered in 70s and 80s, when the pacemen from Windies were no less than an army and very few batsmen in the globe had the courage to face them, forget even dominating them.
As the world wasn’t curious enough to talk about Indian cricket and its results, his own country not expecting any miracles on the ground and media in hibernation, came a young Mumbaikar by the name Sunil Manohar Gavaskar, all of 21 and stood like a rock to create history and scored 774 runs in four test matches in his debut series. He along with Dilip Sardesai brought the greatest laurel for the nation and the then skipper Ajit Wadekar when India beat the might of Windies in famous victory in the year 1971.
The calypso what Windies made, went on to be a reality for the bowlers around the world till Gavaskar hung up his boots in 1987.
For almost 17 years, Gavaskar was making and breaking records at will, but what probably highlights, is his contribution in building the future generation of cricket in India. Master blaster Sachin could be an ideal example to showcase the impact Gavaskar had on the youngsters in his era.
Today, India is blessed with many stalwarts but one man who showed the way for being ‘Fearless against Fearsome’ was none other than Gavaskar. How to build an innings, face the pace on overseas grounds is an inspiration and a lesson for youngsters even today.
In a true sense, it was Gavaskar who made India fall in love with cricket.
Many still rate Gavaskar as a defensive captain, but it was him who made his team learn to draw matches rather than loosing them. May be that was the first step towards transformation of winning days to come.
Post retirement, Gavaskar was the first Indian cricketer to establish himself as a full time commentator and has carved a special niche in the box. The camaraderie he carries with today’s generation of commentators makes Gavaskar an ageless sportsman.
As true cricket fans, we would have loved to see Gavaskar take over the mantle of a mentor or a coach, however that was not to be 😔. May be that’s not the way he wants to pursue his passion for the game and enjoys his stint seating, observing and making his opinions count in a critique’s role from the commentary box.
Sunny bhai completes 70 years of his age today and may we see this patriarch of Indian cricket continue contributing to the game which he was born for.
Happy birthday Sunil Gavaskar 🙇♀️ 🙇♂️
Disclaimer: The blog is an expression of thoughts of a true cricket fan of Sunil Gavaskar.
Image courtesy : gettyimages ae
- Jayawant
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