Sunil Gavaskar turns 70 on Wednesday and while it is an occasion to wish the master technician a very happy birthday it will also be relevant to remember his immeasurable contribution to Indian cricket. Simply put if the history of mankind is divided into two eras – BC and AD – Indian cricket can be divided into two eras – BG and AG. The 39 years prior to 1971 when he burst upon the international scene so remarkably were generally marked by defeats, disasters and debacles and very few victorious moments. The 48 years since his advent have generally been marked by glorious triumphs, rare individual feats and greater respect for Indian cricket and cricketers in the international arena. Sure, there have been the low points but these have been comparatively few.
Today, 32 years after his retirement Gavaskar is revered as the father figure of Indian cricket. He was the pioneer, the man who proved that fast bowlers could be hit and not menaces against whom one flinched. He was a batsman who proved that it was possible to get 13 Test hundreds against the fearsome West Indian fast bowlers – including three double centuries. He proved that it was possible to break the 10,000 run barrier in Test cricket and to overtake Don Bradman’s long standing record tally of 29 hundreds. Most important, he inspired his teammates not to wince against fast bowling or falter against the turning ball. Thanks to him, many others learnt about the essential qualities of dedication and determination, technique and temperament, patience and perseverance, concentration and commitment. And soon the upward swing in India’s fortunes was there for the cricketing world to watch and admire.
Before Gavaskar came on the scene, the chief image of Indian cricketers was that of `dull dogs’ who took an inordinately long time to get their runs. They lacked the will to fight and were technically and temperamentally ill equipped. The history of Indian cricket was punctuated frequently by shameful reverses. It might not be exactly right in saying that one man changed this depressing scenario. But that would be close to the truth. Gavaskar’s entry itself coincided with India’s first-ever victory over West Indies, followed by a triumph in the series. Gavaskar was mainly responsible for this, scoring 774 runs with four hundreds, including a century and a double century in the final Test. His deeds inspired the greater triumph that followed in England the same year. And so the saga continued till 1987. And along the way, there were individual and team feats that none would have thought the Indian team and Indian cricketers were capable of. Scoring 400 plus to win a Test, running up totals of 600 plus more than once, making bowlers sweat it out for more than a day to earn a wicket. And inspired by the greater solidity in the batting, the bowlers have risen to the occasion and shaped numerous notable triumphs.
Though he also captained India in 47 Tests Gavaskar’s chief image will be that of Indian cricket’s most commanding personality, the country’s greatest opening batsman and one of the world’s best of all time. And I know that there are many, who despite the greatness of Sachin Tendulkar, still swear by Gavaskar as India’s No 1 batsman of all time. After all, the pioneer, the man who shows the way, always has a special aura.
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