Sunil Gavaskar turns 75: The legend who tamed speedsters

As cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar turns 75, a look at his timeless batting style and enduring legacy in the sport.

For a man, who loved his centuries, Wednesday will usher in a 75. Sunil Gavaskar, one of cricket’s greatest batters, would rather take it one day at a time, just like he did while countering speed merchants and wily spinners, dealing with them one delivery at a time.

The former India captain, the first man to scale ‘Mount 10000’ in Tests, will clock 75 summers and remains connected to the willow-game. This is an umbilical cord he retains, first as a player till he bowed out in 1987, and now as a broadcaster.

Many in the younger generation, who have only seen him as a commentator, may tend to associate him entirely with that role. A reality that even Richie Benaud had to deal with. May be recency bias is at play or in these days of abbreviated words, Instagram reels and two-minute noodles, memory is short.

But for those who have seen him bat, Gavaskar was about eternity at the crease. In this era of flash-and-dash right from the openers through the middle-order to the finishers, he was that old-fashioned fixed deposit in a reputed bank.

Money was safe and hope was forever. When he batted with fellow openers like the late Chetan Chauhan, Anshuman Gaekwad or K. Srikkanth, and middle-order stalwarts like G.R. Viswanath, Dilip Vengsarkar and Mohinder Amarnath, India knew it had a chance, especially with all-rounder Kapil Dev stepping in too.

A straight bat and a steely resolve was second nature to Gavaskar. One of the few along with the great Viv Richards to bat without a helmet, the opener did experiment with a skull-cap briefly towards the twilight of his career. However, the recurrent image about him is the floppy hat and a bat seemingly broad enough to guard a fortress!

The numbers were staggering at the time when he retired. 10,122 Test runs and 34 hundreds. A yield of 3092 in ODIs and a lone ton. And an overall First Class accumulation of 25,834. The Test statistic places Gavaskar in the 13th spot while fellow Mumbaikar Sachin Tendulkar occupies the throne.