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Cricketer Sunil Gavaskar's Biography







Full Name: Sunil Manohar Gavaskar
Born: July 10, 1949, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Current Age: 61 Years 207 Days
Major Teams: India, Mumbai, Somerset
Also Known As: Sunny
Batting Style: Right-Hand Bat
Bowling Style: Right-Arm Medium, Right-Arm Offbreak
Other: Referee
Height: 5 Ft 5 In
Education: St Xavier's College, Bombay University
Batting and Fielding Figures


Mat
Inns
NO
Runs
HS
Avg.
BF
SR
100
50
6s
Ct
St
Tests
125
214
16
10122
236*
51.12
-
-
34
45
26
108
0
ODIs
108
102
14
3092
103*
35.13
4966
62.26
1
27
-
22
0
First Class
348
563
61
25834
340
51.46
-
-
81
105
-
293
0
List A
151
144
17
4594
123
36.17
-
-
5
37
-
37
0

Bowling Figures


Mat
Inns
Balls
Runs
Wkts
BBI
BBM
Avg.
Econ
SR
4W
5W
10
Tests
125
29
380
206
1
1/34
1/34
206.00
3.25
380.0
0
0
0
ODIs
108
4
20
25
1
1/10
1/10
25.00
7.50
20.0
0
0
0
First Class
348
-
1987
1240
22
3/43
-
56.36
3.74
90.3
0
0
0
List A
151
-
108
81
2
1/10
1/10
40.50
4.50
54.0
0
0
0

Sunil Gavaskar Biography

Sunil Manohar (born
10 July 1949 in Mumbai, Maharashtra, is a former cricketer who played
during the 1970s and 1980s for Mumbai and India. Widely regarded as one
of the greatest opening batsmen in test match history, Gavaskar set
world records during his career for the most runs and most centuries
scored by any batsman. He held the record of 34 Test centuries for
almost two decades before it was broken by Sachin Tendulkar in December
2005.
Gavaskar was widely
admired for his technique against fast bowling, with a particularly high
average of 65.45 against the West Indies, who possessed a four-pronged
fast bowling attack regarded as the most vicious in Test history. His
captaincy of the Indian team, however, was less successful. The team at
one stage went 31 Test matches without a victory. There were incidents
like crowd displeasure at Eden Gardens in Calcutta leading to multiple
matches being disrupted, in response to the poor performance of the
Indian team. Turbulent performances of the team led to multiple
exchanges of captaincy between Gavaskar and Kapil Dev, with one of
Gavaskar's sackings coming just six months before Kapil led India to
victory at the 1983 Cricket World Cup.
Sunil
Gavaskar was one of the greatest opening batsmen of all time, and
certainly the most successful. His game 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. 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.


Domestic Cricket Debut

Growing up in Mumbai, Gavaskar was named India's Best Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year
in 1966. After scoring 246*, 222 and 85 in school cricket in his final
year of secondary education, before striking a century against the
touring London schoolboys. He made his first-class debut for Vazir
Sultan Colts XI against an XI from Dungarpur, in 1966/67, but remained
in Bombay's Ranji Trophy squad for two further years without playing a
match. He made his debut in the 1968/69 season against Karnataka, but
made a duck and was the subject of derisive claims that his selection
was due to the presence of his uncle Madhav Mantri, a former Indian Test
wicketkeeper on Bombay's selection committee. He responded with 114
against Rajasthan in his second match, and two further consecutive
centuries saw him selected in the 1970/71 Indian team to tour the West
Indies. He is the first batsman to score 10,000 runs.

International
Test debut

Gavaskar
stood at just 165 cm. After missing the First Test due to an infected
fingernail, Gavaskar scored 61 and 67 not out in the second Test in
Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, hitting the winning runs which gave India its
first ever win over the West Indies. He followed this with his first
century, 116 and 64* in the Third Test in Georgetown, Guyana, and 1 and
117* in the Fourth Test in Bridgetown, Barbados. He returned to Trinidad
for the fifth Test and scored 124 and 220 to help India to its first
ever series victory over the West Indies, and the only one until 2006.
His performance in the Test made him the second player after Doug
Walters to score a century and double century in the same match. He also
became the first Indian to make four centuries in one Test series, the
second Indian after Vijay Hazare to score two centuries in the same
Test, and the third after Hazare and Polly Umrigar to score centuries in
three consecutive innings. He was the first Indian to aggregate more
than 700 runs in a series, and this 774 runs at 154.80 remains the most
runs scored in a debut series by any batsman. Trinidad Calypso singer
Lord Relator (Willard Harris) wrote a song in Gavaskar's honour.
Gavaskar’s
arrival in England in 1971 for a three Test series generated
substantial publicity in light of his debut series. He was unable to
maintain his performance, making only two half centuries. He was
involved in controversy when taking a quick single from the bowling of John Snow.
They collided and Gavaskar fell over. Snow was suspended. Gavaskar’s
144 runs at the low average of 24, led some to question Gavaskar’s
worthiness in international cricket.
In
1972–73, England toured India for a five Test series, Gavaskar’s first
on home soil. He was ineffective in the first three Tests, accumulating
only sixty runs in five innings as India took a 2–1 lead. He scored some
runs in the final two Tests which India drew to complete consecutive
series wins over England. His first home series was largely
disappointing, aggregating 224 runs at 24.89. His English critics were
placated when India returned in 1974 and Gavaskar scored 101 and 58 in
the First Test at Old Trafford. He managed 227 runs at 37.83 as India were whitewashed 3–0.
Gavaskar’s
1974–75 Indian was interrupted, playing in only the First and Fifth and
final Test of the series against the West Indies. He scored 108 runs at
27, with an 86 at Mumbai the closest the
Indian public got to seeing a century. The Test was the start of a world
record streak of 106 Test appearances.
The
1975–76 season saw three and four Test tours of New Zealand and the
West Indies respectively. Gavaskar led India in a Test for the first
time in January 1976 against New Zealand during the First Test in Auckland when regular captain Bishen Bedi
was suffering from a leg injury. Standing in despite having scored only
703 runs at 28.12 since his debut series, Gavaskar rewarded the
selectors with 116 and 35*. As a result, India secured an eight wicket
victory. He ended the series with 266 runs at 66.33. On the West Indian
leg of the tour, Gavaskar scored consecutive centuries of 156 and 102 in
the Second and Third Tests, both in Port of Spain, Trinidad.
These were his third and fourth centuries at the grounds. In the Third
Test, his 102 helped India post 4/406 to set a world record for the
highest winning fourth innings score. The Indians’ mastery of the
Caribbean spinners on a turning track reportedly led West Indian captain
Clive Lloyd to vow that he would rely on pace alone in future Tests. Gavaskar totalled 390 runs at 55.71 for the series.
Gavaskar
was not to score a century on home soil until November 1976. In an
eight Test summer, three and five against New Zealand and England
respectively, Gavaskar scored centuries in the first and last Tests of
the season. The first was 119 in front of his home crowd at the Wankhede Stadium in Bombay,
helping India to a victory. Gavaskar scored another half century in the
Second Test to end the series with 259 at 43.16. In the First Test
against England at Delhi, he was mobbed upon becoming the first Indian to reach 1000 Test runs a calendar year.[1] A steady series saw him finish with 394 runs at 39.4 with a century coming in Fifth Test at Mumbai and two half centuries.
In
1977–78 he toured Australia, scoring three consecutive Test centuries
(113, 127, 118) in the second innings of the first three Tests at Brisbane, Perth and Melbourne
respectively. India won the third but lost the earlier two. He finished
the Five Test series with 450 runs at 50, failing twice as India lost
the final Test and the series 3–2.
1978–79 saw India tour Pakistan
for the first series between the arch rivals for 17 years. For the
first time Gavaskar faced Pakistani captain and pace spearhead Imran
Khan, who described him as “The most compact batsman I’ve bowled to.”
Gavaskar scored 89 in the First Test and 97 in the Second, which India
drew and lost respectively. Gavaskar saved his best for the Third Test
in Karachi, scoring 111 and 137 in the Third, but was unable to prevent a defeat and series loss. His
twin centuries made him the first Indian to score two centuries in one
Test on two occasions, and saw him pass Umrigar as India’s leading Test
runscorer. Gavaskar had finished the series with 447 runs at 89.40.
Sunil Gavaskar Captaincy
Gavaskar
was captain of the Indian team on several occasions in the late 1970s
and early 1980s, although his record is less impressive. Often equipped
with unpenetrative bowling attacks he tended to use conservative tactics
which resulted in a large number of draws. During his tenure Kapil Dev
emerged as a leading pace bowler for the country. He captained India to
nine victories and eight losses, but most of the games were drawn, 30.
His
first series in charge was a West Indian visit to India for a six Test
series. Gavaskar’s several large centuries contrasted with several
failures. His 205 in the First Test in Bombay made him the first Indian
to score a double century in India against the Caribbeans. He added a
further 73 in the second innings of a high scoring draw. After failing
to score in the Second Test, he scored 107 and 182 not out in the Third
Test at Calcutta, another high scoring draw. This made him the first
player in Test history to achieve centuries in both innings of a Test
three times. He managed only 4 and 1 in the Fourth Test in Madras as
India forced the only win of the series. He posted a fourth century for
the series, scoring 120 in the Fifth Test at Delhi, becoming the first
Indian to pass 4000 Test runs. He aggregated 732 runs at 91.50 for the
series, securing India a 1–0 win in his first series as captain.
Despite
this, he was stripped of the captaincy when India toured England in
1979 for a four Test tour. The official reason given was that Srinivas
Venkataraghavan was preferred due to his superior experience on English
soil, but most observers believed that Gavaskar was punished because he
was believed to be considering defecting to World Series Cricket. He started consistently, scoring four half centuries in five innings of the first three Tests. It was in the Fourth Test at The Oval
that he produced his finest innings on English soil. India were 1–0
down needed to reach a world record target of 438 to square the series.
They reached 76/0 at stumps on the fourth day. Led by Gavaskar, India
made steady progress to be 328/1 with 20 overs remaining on the final
day with a record breaking victory still possible. An Ian Botham
lead fightback saw Gavaskar removed, with India still needing 49 runs
from 46 balls. With three balls left in the match, all four results were
possible. India ended nine runs short with two wickets in hand when
stumps were drawn. According to Sanjay Manjrekar,
it was “Vintage Gavaskar, playing swing bowling to perfection, taking
his time initially and then opening up. Nothing in the air, everything
copybook.” He ended the series with 542 runs at 77.42 and was named as
one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year.
Gavaskar
was restored to the captaincy for the gruelling 1979–80 season, with
six Test home series against both Australia and Pakistan. The first two
Tests against Australia were high scoring draws where only 45 wickets
fell, with India taking a first innings lead in both after making scores
over 400. India broke through for a 153 run win in the Third Test at Kanpur, where Gavaskar scored 76. He made 115 in the Fourth Test in Delhi,
where India were unable to convert a 212 run first innings lead,
resulting in a draw. After another stalemate in the Fifth Test, Gavaskar
scored 123 in the Sixth Test in Bombay, where Australia collapsed by an
innings after India posted their fourth first innings in excess of 400
for the series. The series against Pakistan was similarly high scoring,
with four draws, three of which did not reach the fourth innings. India
won the Third and Fifth Tests in Bombay and Madras. At Madras, he made
166 in the first innings and was unbeaten on 29 when India brought up
the winning runs. Having secured the series 2–0, Gavaskar was stepped
down as captain for the drawn Sixth Test. This occurred because Gavaskar
had refused to tour the West Indies for another series immediately
afterwards, asking for a rest. As a result, Gundappa Viswanath
was appointed so that he could prepare his leadership skills for the
tour. In the end the tour did not go ahead as the West Indian board were
not interested in a team without Gavaskar. The season ended with a one
off Test against England in Mumbai, which India lost. In the 13 Tests
that season, he made 1027 runs at 51.35 with three centuries and four
half centuries. This ended a 14 month span in which Gavaskar played in
22 Tests and the 1979 Cricket World Cup. In the time, he scored 2301
Test runs including eight centuries.
The
1980–81 season saw Gavaskar returned as captain for the Australasian
tour, but it was to be the start of an unhappy reign for Gavaskar and
India. He managed only 118 runs at 19.66 in the three Tests against
Australia, but his impact in Australia was a controversial incident. At
the Melbourne Cricket Ground, when Gavaskar was given out by the Australian umpire Rex Whitehead, he ordered his fellow opener Chetan Chauhan off the field. Instead of abandoning the match, the Indian manager, SK Durani
persuaded Chauhan to return to the match which India went on to win by
59 runs as Australia collapsed to 83 in their second innings. India drew
the series 1–1 but the following three Test series in New Zealand were
to signal the start of a barren run of 19 Tests under Gavaskar of which
India were to win only one and lose five. India lost to New Zealand 1–0,
with Gavaskar managing 126 runs at 25.2. He finished the Oceania tour
with 244 runs at 22.18, with only two half centuries, making little
impact.
The 1981–82 Indian season saw a hard-fought 1–0 series win over England in six Tests. India took the First Test in Mumbai,
before five consecutive draws resulted, four of which did not even
reach the fourth innings. Gavaskar made 172 in the Second Test at Bangalore
and reached a half century on three further occasions to compile 500
runs at 62.5. India reciprocated England’s visit in 1982 for a three
Test series, which was lost 1–0. Gavaskar made 74 runs at 24.66 but was
unable to bat in the Third Test.
The 1982–83 subcontinental season started well for Gavaskar on an individual note, as he made 155 in a one off Test against Sri Lanka
in Madras. It was the first Test between the two nations, with Sri
Lankan having only recently been awarded Test status. Despite this,
India were unable to finish off their novice opponents, the draw
heralding a start of a winless summer. India played in twelve Tests,
losing five and drawing seven. The first series was a six Test tour to
Pakistan. India started well enough, drawing the First Test in Lahore, with Gavaskar scoring 83. Pakistan then defeated India in three consecutive matches. In the Third Test in Faisalabad,
Gavaskar managed an unbeaten 127 in the second innings to force
Pakistan into a run chase, but the other two losses were substantial,
both by an innings. Despite holding on for draws in the last two Tests,
Gavaskar was replaced by Kapil Dev as captain after the 3–0 loss.
Despite his team’s difficulties, Gavaskar remained productive with 434
runs at 47.18 with a century and three half centuries. Gavaskar went on
to the West Indies for a five Test tour purely as a batsman, but could
not reproduce the form that he had shown in the Caribbean in 1971 and
1976. He managed only 240 runs at 30, as India were crushed 2–0 by the
world champions. Apart from an unbeaten 147 in the drawn Third Test in Georgetown, Guyana, his next best effort was 32.
The
1983–84 season started with a home series against Pakistan, with all
three matches being drawn. Gavaskar scored an unbeaten 103 in the First
Test in Bangalore,
and made two further half centuries to total 264 runs at 66. This was
followed by a six Test series against the touring West Indies at the
height of their powers. The First Test was held in Kanpur and India were crushed by an innings. Gavaskar had his bat knocked out of his hand by a hostile delivery from Malcolm Marshall before being dismissed. In the Second Test in Delhi,
Gavaskar delivered his riposte to Marshall, hooking him for a
consecutive four and six to start his innings. Gavaskar, unwilling to be
dictated to by the Caribbean pacemen, hooked the short pitched barrage
relentlessly, reaching his half century in 37 balls. He then went on to
score 121, his 29th Test century in 94 balls, equalling Don Bradman’s world record. He also passed 8000 Test runs in the innings, and was personally honoured by Indira Gandhi, the Prime Minister of India at the ground. The match was drawn. Gavaskar’s 90 in the Third Test at Ahmedabad saw him pass Geoff Boycott’s
Test world record of 8114 career runs was insufficient to prevent
another defeat. During the Fifth Test in the series, India were defeated
by an innings at Calcutta
to concede a 3–0 series lead. India had won only one of their 32 most
recent Tests and none of their last 28. The Bengali crowd singled out
the Marathi Gavaskar, who had made a golden duck and 20. Angry
spectators pelted objects onto the playing arena and clashed with
police, before stoning the team bus. In the Sixth Test in Madras, he
compiled his 30th Test century, with an unbeaten 236 which was the
highest Test score by an Indian. It was his 13th Test century and third
double century against the West Indies. He had aggregated 505 at 50.50
for the series.
With
India having failed to win for 29 successive Tests, Kapil was sacked as
captain and Gavaskar resumed leadership at the start of the 1984–85
season. The two Test tour of Pakistan resulted in two further draws,
with Gavaskar compiling 120 runs at 40. The First Test against England
in Bombay saw India break through for its first Test victory in 32
matches. It proved to be a false dawn, with England squaring the series
1–1 in Delhi before another controversial Third Test at Eden Gardens in Calcutta.
The hostile crowd watched as India batted for over two days to reach
7/437 after 203 overs. Angry with the slow pace of India’s innings, the
crowd chanted “Gavaskar down! Gavaskar out!” blaming him for India’
performance. The local police chief reportedly asked Gavaskar to declare
to placate the angry crowd. When Gavaskar led his team onto the field,
he was pelted with fruit. Gavaskar vowed never to play at Eden Gardens
again, and duly withdrew from the team for India’s next fixture at the
Bengali capital two years later, ending his record of 106 consecutive
Tests. The match was drawn, but India conceded the series after losing
the Fourth. The series ended 1–2, and with a poor display of 140 runs at
17.5, Gavaskar resigned, although he had already announced his into to
relinquish the leadership before the series. The change of captain
improved the form of neither Gavaskar nor India as they toured Sri Lanka
for a three Test series. India were embarrassed 1–0 by the Test
minnows, with Gavaskar managing only 186 runs at 37.2.
International Farewell
In
1985–86, India toured Australia, playing against a team in a poor form
slump. India were unable to capitalise as all three Tests were drawn,
but Gavaskar did. He scored an unbeaten 166 in the First Test in
Adelaide and 172 in the Third Test in Sydney, ending the series with 352
runs at 117.33. A three Test tour of England saw him score only 185
runs at 30.83, which India won 2–0 despite his unproductivity. In
1986–87, Gavaskar’s final season in Test cricket, India faced a long
season of eleven home Tests. Against a team as the worst to leave
Australian shores, Gavaskar made 90 in the second innings of the First
Test in Madras, giving India a chance of reach the target of 348, which
ended in a tie. He scored 103 in the Third Test in Bombay to end the
series with 205 runs at 51.66. The First Test against Sri Lanka in
Kanpur saw Gavaskar’s 34th and final Test century of 176. He scored 74
and 5 in the next two Tests as India won the three match series 2–0. The
five Test series against arch enemies Pakistan was to be his last.
Gavaskar scored 91 in the drawn First Test in Madras before withdrawing
from the Second Test in Calcutta as he had promised. In the Fourth Test
in Ahmedabad, Gavaskar’s 63 made him the first batsman to pass 10,000
runs. With the teams locked 0–0 leading into the final Test in
Bangalore, there was to be no fairytale. Gavaskar was dismissed for 96
in the second innings as India were bowled out to give Pakistan a 1–0
series win.
Sunil Gavaskar Cricket Style
Gavaskar
was also a fine slip fielder and his safe catching in the slips helped
him become the first Indian (excluding wicket-keepers) to take over a
hundred catches in Test matches. In one ODI against Pakistan in Sharjah
in 1985, he took four catches and helped India defend a small total of
125. Early in his Test career, when India rarely used pace bowlers,
Gavaskar also opened the bowling for a short spell on occasions if only
one pace bowler was playing, before a three-pronged spin attack took
over. The only wicket claimed by him is that of Pakistani Zaheer Abbas in 1978–79.
While
Gavaskar could not be described as an attacking batsman, he had the
ability of keeping the scoreboard ticking with unique shots such as the
"late flick". His focus of technical correctness over flair meant that
his style of play was usually less suited to the shorter form of the
game, at which he had less success. His renowned 36 not out in the 1975
World Cup, carrying his bat through the full 60 overs against England,
lead Indian supporters to storm the field and confront him. Gavaskar
almost went through his career without scoring a one-day century. He
managed his first (and only ODI century) in the 1987 World Cup, when he
hit 103 not out against New Zealand in his penultimate ODI innings at Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground, Nagpur.
Outside cricket
Gavaskar has also been awarded the Padma Bhushan. In December 1994 he was appointed the Sheriff of Mumbai,
an honorary post, for a year. After retirement, he has been a popular,
if sometimes controversial commentator, both on TV and in print. He has
written four books on cricket – Sunny Days (autobiography), Idols, Runs n' Ruins and One Day Wonders. He also served as an advisor to the India national cricket team during the home series against Australia in 2004. He was the Chairman of the ICC cricket committee
till the time he was forced to choose between commenting and being on
the committee. He left the committee to continue his career as a
broadcaster.
His son Rohan is also a cricketer who plays at the national level in the Ranji Trophy. He has played some One Day Internationals for India, but could not cement his spot in the team.
The Border-Gavaskar Trophy has been instituted in his (co-)honour.
Gavaskar also tried his hand at acting on the silver screen. He played the lead role in the Marathi movie "Premachi Saavli". The movie did not receive much appreciation though. After many years he appeared in a guest role in a Hindi movie "Maalamal". He has sung a Marathi song "Ya Duniyemadhye Thambayaala Vel Konala"
which was written by noted Marathi lyricist Shantaram Nandgaonkar. The
song depicted the similarities between a cricket match and real life. It
had become popular.
Sunil Gavaskar in Controversies
In
a notorious ODI performance in 1975, he opened the batting and managed
just 36 (not out) off 174 balls (scoring just one four). Replying to
England's 334 from 60 overs, India managed only 132 for 3 from the 60
overs. It was alleged that Gavaskar deliberately performed poorly in
that match, due to his annoyance with the promotion of Srinivas Venkataraghavan to captaincy. He later claimed that he could not adjust to the pace of the game.
Recently,
he has been involved in a string of controversies as an ICC official.
He has been criticised for supporting changes in cricket rules that tend
to favour batsmen. In addition, his role as the chief selector for ICC World XI
also came under criticism due to some controversial selections, which
resulted in one sided matches against the ICC World Champion, Australia.
On 25 March 2008, Malcolm Speed,
ICC chief executive, told Gavaskar "very clearly", during a meeting
between the two at Dubai, that he would have to quit his post at the ICC
if he failed to give up his job of commentator and newspaper columnist,
in which capacity he has frequently criticised his employers and
levelled serious accusations of racism. He sparked especial controversy in early 2008 for his comments on the contentious Sydney Test Match: "Millions of Indians want to know if it [match referee Mike Procter's verdict against Harbhajan Singh
was a 'white man' taking the 'white man's' word against that of the
'brown man'. Quite simply, if there was no audio evidence, nor did the
officials hear anything, then the charge did not stand." Australian
writer Gideon Haigh subsequently pointed out that, if Gavaskar
genuinely believed this, "then he should almost certainly resign, for if
the ICC is a bastion of 'white man's justice', Gavaskar bears some of
the blame for having failed to change it."
Achievements:
  • First player to score more than 10,000 runs in Tests
  • One of the only two players to score centuries in each innings, three times
  • Highest number of runs in a debut series by an Indian (774 against West Indies)
  • Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1980
  • Awarded Padma Bhushan

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