March 6, 2021 marks the 50th anniversary of legendary Sunil Gavaskar’s association with Indian cricket.
The first batsman to reach 10,000 runs in Test cricket, Gavaskar had made his Test debut against the West Indies at the Port of Spain on March 6, 1971. He went on to make a world record 774 runs in his debut series at an average of 154.80 with 4 centuries and 3 half-centuries as India clinched their maiden Test series win on Caribbean soil.
On his Test debut's 50th anniversary, Gavaskar received heartwarming messages from the Indian cricketers and fans on social media.
Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar led the tribute as other Indian cricketers also joined him to hail the Little Master of Indian cricket.
Here are the tweets:
Overall, Sunil Gavaskar represented India in 125 Tests, scoring 10,122 runs at an average of 51.12 with 34 tons and 45 half-centuries. His greatness can be gauged by the fact that he aggregated the highest runs (2749) against that feared West Indies pace attack of the 70s and 80's in red-ball cricket.
Gavaskar amassed 9,607 runs as an opener, which is still the second-highest in Test cricket behind Alastair Cook (11845).
Gavaskar, the 1983 World Cup-winner, also went on to prove his mettle in ODIs. He made 3,092 runs in 108 games at a highly respectable average of 35.14, including an 88-ball ton versus New Zealand to put all the talks surrounding his limited-overs batting to rest.
