Name:

Gavaskar, Sunil M

Nickname:

Sunny, Little Master

Date of Birth:

10 Jul 1949

Gender:

Men

Place of Birth:

Mumbai

Career:

Test: 1971 - 1987
ODI: 1974 - 1987
First Class: 1966 - 1987

Teams:

Mumbai (Regional)
India (Country)

Sunil Gavaskar: Master Craftsman

Sunil Gavaskar: The original Little Master

Born : 10 July 1949 at Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

One of the game's great opening batsman, Sunil Gavaskar was the first player to reach 10 000 Test runs and held the world record for most centuries for many years. A short man with an excellent technique, he made an immediate impact on Test cricket when he scored 774 runs at an average of 154.80 in his first series against West Indies in 1971.

He was the first player to score two centuries in a Test match on three separate occasions. He was the first Indian fielder to take 100 Test catches and he captained India in a then record 47 Tests and also 37 ODIs. In retirement he served as Chairman of the ICC Cricket Committee as well as being a TV commentator.

Sunil Gavaskar had a game that was built around a near-perfect technique and enormous powers of concentration. It is hard to visualise a more beautiful defence: virtually unbreachable, it made his wicket among the hardest to earn. He played with equal felicity off both front and back feet, had excellent judgement of length and line, and was beautifully balanced. He had virtually every stroke in the book but traded flair for the solidity his side needed more.

Playing for India from 1971 to 1987, Gavaskar scored 10,122 runs in 125 Tests at an average of 51.12, including 34 centuries — a world record at the time of his retirement. He was the first player to score over 10,000 Test runs and set benchmarks for batting consistency and longevity.

In One Day Internationals, he played 108 matches, scoring 3,092 runs with one memorable century.

His record for the highest number of Test hundreds was overtaken by Sachin Tendulkar, but statistics alone don't reveal Gavaskar's true value to India. He earned respect for Indian cricket and he taught his team-mates the virtue of professionalism. The self-actualisation of Indian cricket began under him.

Since retiring, Gavaskar has served as a television commentator, analyst and columnist, as well as taken on various responsibilities with the BCCI, and served as chairman of the ICC cricket committee. He stepped down - after some controversial comments - from the latter in order to continue as a media columnist and commentator.