Sunil Gavaskar, the legendary Indian batter, has long been regarded as one of the finest batters in Test cricket history. Recently, his former India teammate Karsan Ghavri disclosed previously unknown facts that illustrate how much influence and status Gavaskar wielded during his playing career.
From 1971 until 1987, Gavaskar was the backbone of Indian batting. His ability to face world-class fast bowlers and post historic centuries earned him a high profile in Indian cricket. Ghavri remembered one of Gavaskar’s most infamous moments, which occurred during the 1975 World Cup versus England.
Gavaskar hit 36 runs off 174 balls, carrying his bat through the innings as India fell far short of England’s mammoth 334-run tally. Ghavri stated that the dressing room was filled with frustration, but Gavaskar remained unaffected. When asked about his strategy after the match, Gavaskar provided a remarkable reply.
“We, as Indian cricketers, did not know how to play one-day cricket. In the first match, England scored 334, but when we came to bat, Sunil played out all 60 overs in that particular match. So many times, messages were sent, asking him to either accelerate or get out, trying to pick the pace.
But Sunil Gavaskar was Sunil Gavaskar in the 1970s. He wouldn’t listen to anyone. He just played out Tony Grieg, Geoff Arnold, Chris Old and Bob Willis. The reason he gave after the match was, ‘I was facing these guys, practising against them for the Test matches in the future’. There was turmoil in the dressing room. When our manager asked him, Gavaskar said ‘Leave me alone’,” Ghavri told Vickey Lalwani on his YouTube channel.
Sunil Gavaskar refuses to meet Prime Minister of India
The former also shared another remarkable story from a Test match at the Feroz Shah Kotla (now Arun Jaitley Stadium) in Delhi, where former Prime Minister Morarji Desai had arrived to meet both teams. By the time he came, India had already batted first, and Gavaskar was preparing to walk in. While the rest of the players stepped out for introductions, Gavaskar refused to meet the Prime Minister of India.
“Sunil Gavaskar was all set. Padded up. He was sitting in the dressing room and concentrating. Raj Singh Dungarpur was there, and in the meantime, he was concentrating. Sunil was about to go out and bat in a few minutes. Raj Singh said ‘Come on, everyone. The Prime Minister is here. The introduction will take place. It will take just 2-3 minutes.’
Everybody went out, but Sunil said, ‘I am not coming’. He said, ‘Let me concentrate. My batting is important for me and my team.’ They left him alone. Sunil batted till tea, and scored some runs also. At the end of the day’s play, we didn’t know that the PM had come to the dressing room only to meet Gavaskar. This is how Sunil Gavaskar, in his prime, right from 1971 to 1987, was always a champion. He could get away with murder,” he added.
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