During his prime, Sunil Gavaskar was regarded as one of the best opening batsmen in cricket. He is most known for the various records he established during his playing career. Gavaskar entered the realm of international cricket with a bang, amassing 774 runs against the West Indies in his first test series. The young man, who was instantly welcomed as a national hero, was unaware of the magnitude of the hopes Indian cricket fans had for his future career. He did not disappoint his fans. He rewrote the history of crickets by setting multiple records, many of which have yet to be broken. With a height of 5′ 5″, he was affectionately referred to as “The Little Master.” Gavaskar liked cricket from a young age and was his school’s best batsman, frequently hitting hundreds of runs! The success of his high school cricket career led to his selection for the national squad. Following his illustrious career as a cricketer, he became a commentator.
Youth and Early Life
Sunil was born into a middle-class family to Manohar and Meenal Gavaskar. It was not surprising that he loved cricket from a young age, as he had always done so. His father was an accomplished club player, while his maternal uncle, Madhav Mantri, was an ex-Indian Test wicketkeeper.
St. Xavier’s school was renowned for its cricketing heritage, therefore he attended there. In 1966, he has crowned India’s Best Schoolboy Cricketer due to his extensive cricket participation during his school years. In the 1966-67 season, he made his debut for Vazir Sultan Colts XI.
Sunil Gavaskar’s Career
A good first-class career earned him a spot on the Indian team that toured the West Indies in 1970-71. Due to an injury, he was forced to miss the first game of the five-game series. However, they more than made up for it by scoring a staggering 774 runs in the next four matches, thereby assisting India in winning the series.
Cricket fans in India hailed him as a national hero following his amazing debut. The strain increased on his young shoulders, and he was unable to perform well during the subsequent England visit.
In the second and third tests of his 1975-76 West Indies tour, he hit hundreds of 156 and 102 runs, respectively. His century in the third test was important in India’s victory.
In 1977 and 1978, he toured Australia and had fun there! He was in good form and hit a century in the first three tests of a series. His efforts were fruitless, however, and India lost the series.
India and Pakistan had traditionally been fierce cricket rivals, and the strain was intense during India’s 1978-79 visit to Pakistan. Gavaskar performed admirably but was unable to hit hundreds in the first two tests. However, he got two centuries in the third test, one in each innings.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Gavaskar led India numerous times. However, he was not a particularly successful captain. Thus, he was replaced by the premier fast bowler Kapil Dev. However, after a few years, he was appointed captain once more, and a few years later he was replaced by Kapil Dev.
The beginning of the 1980s was marked by a challenging series between India and England, which India won 1-0. In this series, he scored 500 runs at a rate of 62.5 runs per game.
In a single match against Sri Lanka in Madras during the 1982-83 season, he scored 155 runs. Sri Lanka had only recently been given test status, and this was their first meeting.
He was a member of the England-based side that won the 1983 Cricket World Cup.
In the 1983-84 home series against Pakistan, he scored an undefeated hundred in the first test and two half-centuries in the remaining matches. Each of the three matches played ended in a tie.
During the 1985-86 tour of Australia, Gavaskar was in excellent form, scoring an unbeaten 166 in the first test and 172 in the third, and finishing the series with 353 runs at an average of 117.
He played his final test series against Pakistan in 1987 and retired after India hosted the 1987 Cricket World Cup.
After retirement, he became a pundit noted for his frank opinions. He has also written four cricket-related novels, including the autobiography “Sunny Days.”
Awards & Achievements
He was the first player in Test Cricket history to score 10,000 runs.
He surpassed Sir Don Bradman’s record of 29 Test centuries and formerly held the global records for most Test centuries and most Test runs.
His Test stats are as follows: 122 matches, 10,122 runs scored, 51.12 batting average, and 34/45 centuries. His ODI stats are as follows: 108 Marches, 3092 Runs Scored, 35.13 Batting Average, and 27 100s/the 50s.
In 1980, the Government of India awarded him the Padma Bhushan for his contributions to the field of cricket.
In 2012, he was honored with the renowned Col CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award.
Personal History and Legacy
He wed Marshneill Mehrotra, the daughter of a leather manufacturer. His son Rohan is also a former cricketer, albeit with less success than his father.
Estimated Net Worth
The former Indian cricket player Sunil Gavaskar has a net worth of $30 million. Born on 10 July 1949 in Bombay, Bombay State, Dominion of India, Gavaskar stands five feet and five inches tall and is also known as Sunny or Little Master. He bats right-handed and bowls with a right-arm medium delivery.
Trivia
This legendary Indian cricketer starred in the Marathi film ‘Savli Premachi’.