Happy Birthday Sunil Gavaskar: A look at his amazing records
What's the story
Batting maestro Sunil Gavaskar turned 71 on Friday. Gavaskar, also known as the Little Master, is one of the greatest openers of all time. He led India's batting attack in an era when fast bowlers were on the rise. His valiant knocks against the ferocious Caribbean fast bowlers were deemed indispensable. Here are the some of Gavaskar's unique records in international cricket.
Career
A look at his international career
Gavaskar represented Team India from 1971 to 1987 across formats. He was a pivotal part of India's 1983 World Cup campaign, wherein the Kapil Dev-led side scripted history. In his emphatic career, he amassed 10,122 runs from 125 Tests at a phenomenal average of 51.12. He also racked up 3,092 runs in 108 ODIs at 35.13. Gavaskar has 35 international tons to his name.
Test cricket
First player to score 10,000 Test runs
Notably, Gavaskar was the first ever player in Test history to have touched the 10,000-run mark. He achieved the feat in the 1987 Ahmedabad Test against arch-rivals Pakistan. Gavaskar scored a 170-ball 63 in the match, which was later drawn. Till date, he is India's third highest run-scorer in Test cricket with Sachin Tendulkar (15,921) and Rahul Dravid (13,288) occupying the top two spots.
Information
A record 34 centuries in Test cricket
Gavaskar slammed 34 centuries in Test cricket, a record that stood for nearly two decades. His successor Sachin Tendulkar finally surpassed him after scoring his 35th Test ton in a match against Sri Lanka (December 2005).
Debut series
Gavaskar tallied 774 runs in his debut Test series
Gavaskar still holds the record of aggregating most number of runs in a debut Test series (five matches). The Mumbai batsman burst into the Test side during India's 1971 tour of West Indies. He finished the series with a mammoth 774 runs at 154.80. The tally included 4 tons and 3 fifties. West Indies' Conrad Hunte follows him on the list with 622 runs.
West Indies
Gavaskar had a knack of scoring runs against West Indies
During his career, Gavaskar always fancied playing against West Indies. While others hesitated in front of the fearsome four-pronged pace attack, the Little Master faced them sans a helmet. He scored 2,749 runs in 27 Tests against the Caribbeans at 65.45. Gavaskar also smashed 13 centuries, second most by a batsman against a single opposition. Truly, a legend!