Courtesy-India Today
Sunil Manohar “Sunny” Gavaskar is an Indian former cricketer who served for the Mumbai cricket team and the Indian national team in the 1970s and 1980s. Gavaskar, widely considered as one of the best opening batsmen in cricket history, established world records for the most Test runs and Test centuries scored by any batsman during his career. Until Sachin Tendulkar shattered his mark of 34 Test centuries in December 2005, he tied the title for almost two decades. He was the first person to make centuries in any of the three innings of a Test match.
Sunil Gavaskar set five fascinating records during his Test cricket career:
1.Gavaskar’s first Test series was against the fearsome West Indies team in 1971. Against the West Indies’ formidable bowling attack, the confident right-handed batsman stood tall. In a Test series, this is also the most runs scored by an Indian batsman. Gavaskar scored 774 runs at a phenomenal average of 154.80 in eight innings, including four hundred and three fifties. Gavaskar made a splash in his debut season, announcing his arrival in style. In the same Test series, he has scored a double century.
2. Gavaskar made history when he struck his 30th Test match on December 28, 1983. He surpassed Sir Don Bradman’s 29 century total to become the leading century-maker in Test cricket.
3. During his profession, Sunil Gavaskar had a ravenous appetite for races. He is the only Indian batsman to strike centuries in both innings of a Test match three times. In 1971, Gavaskar scored 124 and 220 runs against the West Indies in Port of Spain.
4. In the 1970s and 1980s, the West Indies were unquestionably the world’s cricket superpower. Any opponent they faced used to be terrified of them. Quick bowlers like Micheal Holding, Joel Garner, Andy Roberts, and Malcolm Marshall are known for dancing to their music. Gavaskar, on the other hand, was one of the few batsmen who consistently outscored their bowling attack.
During his career, he scored a total of 2749 runs against the West Indies, the most by any batsman. Gavaskar scored 13 centuries against the West Indies’ formidable bowling attack, demonstrating his superiority. Gavaskar was one of the few who was never threatened by the West Indies and still came through for the team.
5. Sunil Gavaskar accomplished another unthinkable achievement as a batsman on January 3, 1983. He remained not-out for the entire innings of his 127* against Pakistan in Faisalabad. This was the first time any Indian batsman has done so, and only three other Indian batsmen have done since then. Apart from Gavaskar, the only three batsmen to stay undefeated in a full inning are Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag, and Cheteshwar Pujara.