From One Little Master To Another, Sachin Tendulkar's Beautiful Birthday Post For Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar, a true Indian cricket legend, is celebrating his 74th birthday.
One of the greatest batters of all time, Sunil Gavaskar turned 74 years old on July 10, 2023. As wishes poured in from fans and other cricketing personalities, one tweet that stood out was from the Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar. Also known as the Little Master, Tendulkar paid tribute to the man whom he idolised growing up. "Happy birthday to my batting idol, the man we all wanted to bat like while growing up. Happy birthday, Gavaskar sir!," Tendulkar tweeted on the occasion.
Happy birthday to my batting idol, the man we all wanted to bat like while growing up.
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) July 10, 2023
Happy birthday, Gavaskar sir! pic.twitter.com/LdfmPy2w0S
A distinguished member of India's maiden World Cup-winning squad of 1983, Gavaskar once held the record for scoring the most centuries in Tests. The Mumbaikar, who scored more than 10,000 runs in red-ball cricket, brought curtains to his career with 45 half-centuries and 34 centuries against his name.
There is no better way to celebrate the 74th birthday of this cricketing colossus than relive some his best knocks and records, some of which have stood the test of time.
In March 1987, Gavaskar became the first cricketer to reach 10,000 Test runs, a milestone that nobody dared imagine, far less aspired to, at the time. By the time the legend made his curtain call and strode into the cricketing sunset, the 'Little Master' had a staggering 10,122 runs against him.
The number is dizzying in cricketing parlance, even more so when one considers that they were made on some of most hostile of surfaces against the likes of Michael Holding, Andy Roberts, Joel Garner, Jeff Thompson and Denis Lillee, to name a few.
Sunny held onto to his record for the most number of Test hundreds for a fairly long time. Representing India in 125 Test matches, Gavaskar scored 34 centuries. To many, the record seemed insurmountable till 'Master Blaster' Sachin Tendulkar dwarfed it in 2005.
The 'Little Master' smashed 13 centuries in 27 Tests he featured in against the West Indies. As history would bear witness, the Caribbeans were a formidable red-ball team in the 70s and 80s but where most batters seem to fail or come unstuck, Gavaskar triumphed and thrived on, crossing batting milestones against some of the world's most feared quicks.
With ANI inputs
Sunil Gavaskar
Sachin Tendulkar