Hyderabad: Sunil Manohar Gavaskar, one of the greatest right-hand batsmen that cricket has ever seen, turns 70 today.
Little Master was a vital cog of the Indian cricket team that won the 1983 World Cup. When the cricket pitches used to be hell for the batsmen this gem from India used to dominate the bowlers, irrespective of home and away conditions. He was one of the first Indians to get his name in the record books.
On this special day, let's have a look at Gavaskar's top records in cricket.
1. First to score 10,000 runs
The right-hand opening batsman was the first man to reach the milestone of 10,000 runs in Test cricket. The Mumbai batsman reached historic figure against the arch-rival Pakistan in 1987 at Ahmedabad. He scored 63 runs in the first innings of that Test match to achieve the five-figure mark.
2. First to notch 30 centuries
Gavaskar maintained the numero uno position at the chart of Test centuries for a long time. In December 1983, he broke Sir Don Bradman’s record of most Test centuries and became the first player to score 30 Test hundreds.
3. Most runs in debut Test series
The batting genius was known for his penchant of dominating the then deadliest bowling attack of West Indies. He started it in the very first Test series of his career. He debuted in the second Test of India's historic 1970-71 tour of the Caribbean and finished the series amassing a record 774 runs, which is still the highest tally of runs scored by a debutant. Gavaskar’s total in that series is even today the highest ever score by an Indian cricketer in a Test series.
4. First Indian to carry his bat
He is the 1st Indian to carry his bat in a Test innings. Carrying the bat throughout the innings means opening batsmen who were not dismissed when the team innings is closed. Gavaskar scored unbeaten 127 in that innings against Pakistan.
5. Most runs against West Indies
If there was one side which had the most formidable bowling lineups at that point was West Indies But Gavaskar, who used to play without a helmet, consistently performed against them and scored 2,749 runs in 27 Tests. He also has highest batting average in the West Indies among the visiting batsmen.
