"I Shall Go And Strangle Him": Why Sunil Gavaskar 'Warned' Sachin Tendulkar After His 1st Test Century vs England

Indian cricket's tryst with batting royalty is an old affair. From C.K. Nayudu to Virat Kohli, top-notch batters have graced the Indian cricket scene and wowed the world. In the long list of illustrious batters, Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar are two of the brightest stars. Both greats emerged from Mumbai cricket and went on to dominate bowlers across the world. Gavaskar's Test career spanned from 1971 to 1987, during which time he became the first player ever to score 10,000 runs. Tendulkar made his international Test debut two years after Gavaskar retired, in 1989.

After an international career that ended in November 2013, Tendulkar finished with 15,921 runs in Tests (51 centuries) and 18,426 runs in ODIs (49 centuries). He is, till date, the highest run-getter in both formats. Gavaskar, however, had predicted Tendulkar's feats after he scored his first century in 1990 against England in Manchester.

In an old interview that has resurfaced, Gavaskar can be heard telling Tendulkar in jest that he will "strangle him" if he doesn't score 15,000 Test runs and 40 centuries.

"If you have your eyes on the ball, you will very seldom get hit. The reflexes are such that the eye-to-hand coordination will either get the hand up or you will be able to jerk your head out of the way. Sachin Tendulkar has shown that so often, as all class batsmen do," Gavaskar said, before asking Tendulkar a question.

"You remember the shot with which you got your century?" he asked.

"Yes, I played an off-drive on the rise off Angus Fraser, where I took three runs. And it's very hard to forget that," Tendulkar said.

"I think it was a truly incredible shot because it was played off the back foot. When Sachin said he played it on the rise, he didn't specify which foot he played it on. Off the front foot, it is a little bit easier to play. But he played it off the back foot. It was an incredible shot. It was a tremendous way to get to your first century. In fact, the first Test century is always memorable. Those who follow Indian cricket know that with that particular shot, a new star had arrived on the Indian cricket scene," Gavaskar said.

"I, for one, know that if by the end of his career he does not get a minimum of 15,000 runs and 40 Test centuries, I shall personally go and strangle him. And 20 years down the line, my hands may not have the same strength, but I think I will deputise somebody to do that for me. He has got that much talent. Sachin, I hope you will not let me down. You will not let Indian cricket down."

#OnThisDay 1990

Clip 1:35 onwards ... Gavaskar's prophecy that Sachin would score 15K runs and 40 Test centuries !!

(this was shared earlier)

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— subu sastry (@suubsy) August 14, 2020

"I will be trying my best," Sachin replied.

"You are 22 now; it is a time when everything works in your favour. I think you can do it," Gavaskar said.

Topics mentioned in this article

Sachin Tendulkar Sunil Gavaskar India Cricket Team BCCI Cricket