New Delhi: Batting legend and former India captain Sunil Gavaskar celebrated his 76th birthday on Thursday.
One of the finest openers that cricket has ever seen, the diminutive batsman went on to command the crease with unmatched composure, taking on some of the fiercest fast bowlers of his era with an impeccable defence and flawless technique.
His batting exploits aside, Gavaskar remains a giant in cricket history, thanks to his batting against the West Indies bowling greats in the 1970s and 80s. The Little Master’s duels without helmet against the pace battery of Andy Roberts, Colin Croft, Joel Garner, and Malcolm Marshal and Michael Holding are the stuff of cricket lores.
In fact, Gavaskar was destined to make his mark against the cricketers from the Carribean. His debut in 1971 saw him plunder 774 runs against West Indies—the highest by a debutant ever so far. Such was his impact that by the end of the series, Gavaskar had a song in his recognition. “It was Gavaskar. The real master. Just like a wall. We couldn’t out Gavaskar at all. Not at all,” reads the song composed by Calypso-singer Willard Harris aka Lord Relator.
As India takes on England in the ongoing five-match Test series, his former Mumbai Ranji teammate (1980–91), Kiran Mokashi reflected on Gavaskar’s greatness in Test cricket. “He was a true Test legend, and it’s unfair to compare today’s players with him,” Mokashi said.
1️⃣9⃣8⃣3⃣ World Cup-winner 🏆
233 international matches 👍
13,214 runs in international cricket 👌
First batter to score 1️⃣0⃣0⃣0⃣0⃣ runs in Tests 🔝
Here's wishing Sunil Gavaskar – former #TeamIndia Captain & batting legend – a very Happy Birthday! 🎂👏 pic.twitter.com/mBCMwsDWcm
— BCCI (@BCCI) July 10, 2025
Gavaskar represented India in 125 Tests, amassing 10,122 runs, with a career-best unbeaten 236. He notched up 34 centuries and 45 half-centuries. In the One Day Internationals (ODIs), the diminutive batsman scored 3,092 runs with an unbeaten 103 as his highest.
“I’ve never seen anyone with that level of concentration. He was technically immaculate. No one handled the moving ball quite like he did,” Mokashi added.
Gavaskar made his Test debut in March 1971 at Port of Spain during India’s historic tour of the West Indies, which the visitors won 1-0. In the second Test, he scored 65 and an unbeaten 67, helping India secure a seven-wicket victory. In that series, Gavaskar piled up 774 runs in just four Tests, a record that still stands as the highest tally by an Indian batter in a single Test series. It also ranks joint 12th on the all-time list, alongside Steve Smith’s 774 in the 2019 Ashes.
Gavaskar reached several milestones during his Test career, most notably becoming the first cricketer to surpass 10,000 runs in the format, a milestone he reached in March 1987 in Ahmedabad, facing Imran Khan’s Pakistan.
But, for Mokashi, his favourite innings of Gavaskar remains the 101-run knock against England in 1974. Though India lost the match by a huge margin of 113 runs, Gavaskar’s batting against the English bowling attack is a masterclass for young batters.
“We were just teenagers, following the match on the radio, since only the highlights were shown on television back then,” the former cricketer recalled.
“Everything seemed stacked against us in that game, be it the overcast skies or the tricky English conditions. In the highlights, we saw the ball was swinging like a yo-yo. Wickets kept tumbling, but he stood his ground. In the end, it wasn’t an unplayable delivery that got him out — it was a run-out.”
The ‘Little Master’ also holds the record for the most runs scored by an Indian captain in a single Test series, 732 runs against the West Indies in 1978-79.
Another historic achievement came in Faisalabad on 3 January, 1983, when Gavaskar became the first Indian batsman to carry his bat through a complete Test innings, finishing unbeaten on 127. He also remains the fastest Indian to reach 5,000 Test runs, achieving the milestone in just 95 innings.
Gavaskar retired from the game in 1987, with a then-record 34 centuries in the format. That record remained intact for nearly 20 years till a fellow Mumbaikar, Sachin Tendulkar, surpassed it in December 2005. Sachin himself has acknowledged the influence of Gavaskar on him and generations of fellow cricketers.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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