Sunil Gavaskar – Cricketer, Life and Achievements

Sunil Gavaskar, The Little Champion 

Sunil Gavaskar was born in a middle-class family in Mumbai on the 10th of July in 1949. He joined St. Xavier’s High school to skill his cricket batting style. Later he played for the Bombay University and The Bombay Ranji team. He finally got a berth in the Indian Cricket squad in 1971. His first Test cricket match was played against West Indies at Port of Spain. In those days, the West Indian bowlers bowl the ball aggressively and fiercely. Of course, no one dares to defend the balls without helmets. However, his dare to attack the violent blowing of the West Indies made him a hero in those days. He saved Indian Team many times from the bottom of the defeats, made caused him to win many matches. He played 125 Test Matches and scored 10,000 more runs with 34 Test centuries. This achievement was difficult then, so the fans called him Little Champion.

Early Days:

Sunil Gavaskar’s father was also a good cricketer and played for local clubs in his days. He was impressed by his father’s Cricket playing and was interested in playing Cricket. But with his mother’s encouragement, he chooses to play Cricket as his career. In his early days, he played Cricket with his mother in a small place in front of their apartment. Later his parents observed the interest and skills of Sunil Gavaskar and were sent to St. Xavier’s High School as it had a rich tradition of Cricket. The same school gifted many recognized players, including Ashok Mankad. In that school, Gavaskar’s life turned as a great cricketer. Once playing for Bombay, he scored 246 in the Cooch Behar Trophy in 1965-66. His stunning performance caused him to select for the All India schools team against the touring London Schoolboys. Subsequently, he was chosen for Bombay University and the Bombay Ranji Trophy team.

Sunil Gavaskar as a Cricket Player:

Sunil Gavaskar – There was a time when good teams like West Indies, England, and Australia did not want to tour India to play Cricket. During this period, the little man Sunil Gavaskar came into the Indian Cricket Team as a batsman. In later years, he was called the “little master” by cricket lovers in India. He changed the face of Indian Cricket with his magnificent batting skills and attracted the same good teams to play Cricket with the Indian Team with the utmost respect. His spectacular cricket career began in 1971, playing Test series against the West Indies and scoring a record 774 runs. His performance and runs made him a national hero for cricket fans in India. With his brilliant and admiring bating, he brought the cricket game a household name in India.

Sunil Gavaskar Achievements and Awards:

Sunil Gavaskar became a popular public figure in India and the world. He got many national and state-level awards for his services to Cricket and citizen services. Despite all these achievements, he never shows pride in any place and always moves as a natural citizen of India with his humble nature. He has the charm and the ability to disarm his critics and win friends. He got many men of the match awards for his outstanding performances in the matches. In 1983 Indian Cricket team got the world cricket cup under the captaincy of Kapil Dev; in that Team, Sunny Gavaskar was also a member and assisted in helping the Team to win the Cup. In 1980, he was named Wisden Cricketer, and in 1985 he led the Team to victory in the World Championship in Australia. Indian Government also awarded him with ‘Padma Bhushan’. Now he works as a commentator for Cricket and writes about Cricket matches. He has written an autobiography, “Sunny Days”. His son, Rohan, has also played 11 One day International Cricket from India and failed to continue his career as a Cricketer.

Sunil Gavaskar as a One-day Cricket Player:

His playing batting technique and timing made him one of the most incredible batters ever. But he could not adjust to the demands of the one-day Cricket. In his first one-day cricket match, he scored only 36 not out in a game of 60 overs against England. He scored only one century in day cricket against the New Zealand team in the Reliance world cup in 1987.
Major Teams: India, Mumbai, Somerset
Batting Style: Right-Hand Bat
Bowling Style: Right Arm Medium
ODI Debut: vs England at Leeds, Prudential Trophy, 1974
Test Debut: vs West Indies at Port-of-Spain, 2nd Test, 1970/71
Last Test: vs Pakistan at Bangalore, 5th Test, 1986/87
Last ODI: vs England at Bombay, World Cup, 1987/88