Sunil Gavaskar

Sunil Gavaskar Biography

Sunil Gavaskar metamorphosed Indian cricket in that watershed 1970-71 series. The 774 runs in four Tests that he scored in Caribbean in that debut series was a harbinger of 21-year-old’s precocity.

Gavaskar’s cataclysmic presence transformed Indian cricket off the field as well. When he came into the Indian team, players got Rs 750 a Test; by the time he moth-balled his kit, annual incomes of cricketers had more digits than phone numbers — well, almost. His commanding stature and authoritative voice laid the foundation for the players to cash in when the country witnessed the boom of satellite television. The millionaire cricketers of today have to thank him a lot.

He was a key figure in many of fourth innings epics in cricket history: 102 out of 406 for four in Port of Spain — then the highest ever by a team to win the Test; 90 out of 347 against Australia at Bangalore in Tied Test II, and 221 out of 429 for nine in a historic draw against England at the Oval in 1979.

He was the epitome of courage and consistency in the Golden Era of fast bowlers which had the likes of Dennis Lillee, Jeff Thomson, Andy Roberts, Michael Holding, Malcolm Marshall and Imran Khan testing the bats and bones of batsmen. The traditional struggle of India’s flat-track bullies on overseas soil against even bowlers of average quality should put Gavaskar’s worth in perspective. He did not have the freedom to bat aggressive, but when he did he scored a hundred off 94 balls against Malcolm Marshall and Michael Holding and an 85-ball century in a 1987 World Cup game against New Zealand.

He held the record for the most runs and hundreds in Test cricket and is the first of the two to score hundreds in each innings thrice.

The timing of his retirement was as mellifluous as the timing of his shots: 96 in his final Test innings on a beast of a wicket against Pakistan in 1986-87; an elusive century in his penultimate one-day innings; and 188 against a World XI in his final First-Class match at Lord’s, the grand occasion of MCC’s Bicentenary.

Gavaskar has donned many hats: Sheriff of Mumbai, Vice-president of the MCA, BCCI president, ICC match referee, Chairman of ICC cricket committee and TV commentator. He has also been an author, singer and an actor.

H Natarajan

Sunil Gavaskar Batting & Fielding Averages

Career	M	In	R	NO	HS	Avg	BF	SR	100s	50s	4s	6s	Ct	St
Test	125	214	10122	16	236*	51.12	16843	60.09	34	45	1080	2	108	0
ODIs	108	102	3092	14	103*	35.13	4910	62.97	1	27	227	15	22	0
T20s	0	--	--	--		--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
World Cup	19	19	561	3	103*	35.06	922	60.84	1	4	59	3	4	0

Sunil Gavaskar Bowling Averages

Career	M	B	R	W	Avg	EC	SR	5WI	10WM	BBI	BBM
Test	125	376	206	1	206.0	3.287	376	0	0	1/10	1/10
ODIs	108	20	25	1	25.00	7.500	20.00	0	0	1/10	1/10
T20s	0	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
World Cup	19	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--		1/10

Sunil Gavaskar Career statistics

News ON Sunil Gavaskar

Cricket Legend Sunil Gavaskar Sends Special Message To Struggling Virat Kohli To Overcome Bad Form

Indian stalwart Virat Kohli has been going through a lean patch. His place in the Indian team has also been under the scanner. Many ...

Indian Cricket Board Should…:Sunil Gavaskar Has Had Enough, Highlights What Is Wrong With Indian Cricket

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar came down heavily on modern-day cricketers asking for rest, who are fully committed to play the ...

13 anecdotes that exemplify Sourav Ganguly as witty, quick-thinking and master of ripostes

Donning multiple roles right now, Sourav Ganguly isn't frequent in the commentary box and fans do miss his ‘dadagiri’ in the commentary box.

Sunil Gavaskar Shares Some Telling Insights On How Dinesh Karthik Made A Comeback To India Team | Must Read

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar spoke at length regarding Dinesh Karthik and revealed some behind-the-scenes work done by the India ...

After Being Critical About Rishabh Pant, Sunil Gavaskar Dons Hat Of An Astrologer, Makes A Massive Statement Ahead of IND vs SA 5th T20I

Talking in the pre-match show on Star Sports just before the toss, Gavaskar however, picked Pant to be player who can make all the ...

Sunil Gavaskar Reveals The Fault In Rishabh Pant’s Batting

Pant, who became captain for the series after KL Rahul’s injury, had a mediocre Indian Premier League 2022 as well.

More News on Sunil Gavaskar

Features ON Sunil Gavaskar

Virat Kohli’s Team India or Kane Williamson-Led New Zealand? Sunil Gavaskar Picks His Favourite For ICC WTC Final 2021

The former India captain feels both the teams have a good chance of winning the big final as they are well-stocked with the batting and ...

Cricket World Cup 2019: Sunny days, Tendulkar mania and celebrity-spotting (real and fake) at Lord’s

Ed Sheeran, Damien Lewis and Gareth Southgate were among the celebs at Lord's.

India vs New Zealand at World Cups: The story so far

While India boast a better record overall, New Zealand lead 4-3 in World Cups.

RCB’s failure this IPL will be a blessing in disguise for Indian cricket: Sunil Gavaskar

Kohli was visibly distraught with the loss and conceded that RCB can’t give any excuses to any further losses.

World Cup Countdown: 1987 – Chetan Sharma takes a hat-trick before Sunil Gavaskar hits maiden ODI ton

We recall when Chetan Sharma became the first bowler to take a hat-trick at the WC and Sunil Gavaskar scored his maiden century

World Cup Countdown: 1987 – Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar take field together

We look back at the day when three legends of Indian cricket — Sachin Tendulkar, Kapil Dev, and Sunil Gavaskar took field together.

More Features on Sunil Gavaskar

VIDEO: आखिर पुजारा को हुआ क्या है?, लगातार दूसरे वनडे में ठोका ताबड़तोड़ शतक

IND vs PAK मैच को लेकर आई बड़ी खबर, कहां से और कैसे खरीदें Ticket, जानें कितनी है कीमत

पूर्व विकेटकीपर का चौंकाने वाला बयान, बोले- खराब फॉर्म वाले खिलाड़ियों की हिमायत करते हैं रोहित

सोशल मीडिया पर धोनी की शानदार अंदाज में वापसी, खास मौके के लिए लगाई ये प्रोफाइल पिक्चर

RCB की इस हरकत से आज भी खफा हैं रॉस टेलर, सालों बाद बयां किया अपना दर्द