Cricket fraternity doff hats to 'record-breaker Gavaskar'

There appears to be no end to Sunil Gavaskar’s milestones. As the Little Master completes the 50th anniversary of his Test debut, cricketers, BCCI and public alike join in hailing one of the greatest cricketers of all time.

Hyderabad: For former cricketer Pravin Amre, cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar, will always be remembered as the first cricketer to achieve 10,000 runs in Test cricket and someone who was his "inspiration to play the game."

Reminiscing about the genius of Gavaskar even as the former Indian skipper celebrates the 50th anniversary of his Test debut on Saturday, Amre feels the 71-year-old veteran is widely respected in the cricket circuit for the knowledge he possesses of the game.

• Celebrating 50 years of Sunil Gavaskar's Test debut 👏👏
  
  The cricketing world paid tribute to the legendary former India Captain Mr. Sunil Gavaskar on the occasion of his 50th anniversary of his Test debut for India. @Paytm #INDvENG
  
  Full video 🎥 👉 https://t.co/k97YiyvcmR pic.twitter.com/za4Soq0yMh

  — BCCI (@BCCI) March 6, 2021 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="

  Celebrating 50 years of Sunil Gavaskar's Test debut 👏👏
  
  The cricketing world paid tribute to the legendary former India Captain Mr. Sunil Gavaskar on the occasion of his 50th anniversary of his Test debut for India. @Paytm #INDvENG
  
  Full video 🎥 👉 https://t.co/k97YiyvcmR pic.twitter.com/za4Soq0yMh

  — BCCI (@BCCI) March 6, 2021

  ">

  Celebrating 50 years of Sunil Gavaskar's Test debut 👏👏
  
  The cricketing world paid tribute to the legendary former India Captain Mr. Sunil Gavaskar on the occasion of his 50th anniversary of his Test debut for India. @Paytm #INDvENG
  
  Full video 🎥 👉 https://t.co/k97YiyvcmR pic.twitter.com/za4Soq0yMh

  — BCCI (@BCCI) March 6, 2021

"For us, we grew up watching him. He was our inspiration to play cricket. I will always remember him as the first man to achieve 10,000 runs," Amre told Etv Bharat in a telephonic conversation.

Sharing an anecdote about Gavaskar's love for the game, Amre said, "I remember when I got 92. He was on air and now he is still doing that job. Imagine, how much he has travelled while doing his second innings (as commentator). We all know his first innings... how great he was as a cricketer... He is always connected with the game. He is respected all over the world because of the knowledge of the game."

BCCI felicitated Gavaskar for his contribution to Indian cricket as Secretary Jay Shah honoured the batting great during the lunch break on day three of the ongoing fourth Test between India and England at the Narendra Modi Stadium.

Celebrating 5️⃣0️⃣ glorious years of the legendary former #TeamIndia Captain Mr. Sunil Gavaskar's Test debut today 🙌🏻 🇮🇳 @GCAMotera @Paytm pic.twitter.com/XVcTJfqypg

— BCCI (@BCCI) March 6, 2021 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="

Celebrating 5️⃣0️⃣ glorious years of the legendary former #TeamIndia Captain Mr. Sunil Gavaskar's Test debut today 🙌🏻 🇮🇳 @GCAMotera @Paytm pic.twitter.com/XVcTJfqypg

— BCCI (@BCCI) March 6, 2021

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Celebrating 5️⃣0️⃣ glorious years of the legendary former #TeamIndia Captain Mr. Sunil Gavaskar's Test debut today 🙌🏻 🇮🇳 @GCAMotera @Paytm pic.twitter.com/XVcTJfqypg

— BCCI (@BCCI) March 6, 2021

"We have seen him closely when we were young playing in Ranji. Obviously, great respect to him, not only as a cricketer but for the knowledge he possesses...the way he thinks about cricketers, and that's very important. To see him now for three decades is fantastic," Amre, who currently is the assistant coach of Delhi Capitals, said.

Legendary left-handed pace bowler Karsan Ghavri, who alongside Kapil Dev plucked 183 wickets in 27 Test matches, described Gavaskar as the "record-breaker of the game." "Great landmark for Sunny and Indian cricket. He has inspired many young cricketers. Gavaskar is a record-breaker of world cricket; his contribution on and off the field is unmatched."

Gavaskar debuted in Test cricket on March 6, 1971 against West Indies in Port of Spain, Trinidad. The Little Master shattered multiple batting records and was widely feared by the bowlers for his impeccable batting technique.

As Imran Khan in an interview few years ago remembers him as the first Indian batsman to face the fast bowlers head on by tackling bounce and short balls, Gavaskar is also known for his dominance against spin bowling.

Regarded as the epitome of Test batsmanship in the unprotected era, Gavaskar's glittering career spanned over 125 Tests and 108 ODIs where he scored 10,122 and 3,092 runs respectively.

--By Ayushmaan Pandey