MANCHESTER: Ask him about his “good friend”
Sunil Gavaskar on the occasion of the
cricket
legend’s 70th birthday, old rival
David Gower narrates two interesting stories to sum up the persona of a man he feels is “unique.”
The former England captain first recalls the Oval Test of 1979, when the opening great cracked 221 to almost help India pull of an improbable fourth innings chase of 438 against England. The visitors had finished at 429 for eight, and Gavaskar’s double hundred was rated as one of the finest seen in England.
“That was the first time I saw him bat as faultlessly as that for so long. It was the first time I saw him at his very best. It was just my second year in international cricket,” remembers Gower, “I hadn’t seen anyone bat with that degree of clinical efficiency. Yes, it was still a good pitch on that fifth day. But at the same time, we thought we had enough runs on the board, and time to bowl India out.
“It was an awesome knock, because he got India so close to an improbable victory,” he tells TOI.
“When the Indian innings started, we had no other thought than us winning the game. However, in the last couple of hours of that fifth day, we were in danger of losing it! These are the sort of innings that young, aspiring players need to see because a year earlier, Mike Brearley had told me: ‘Test cricket is about big scores.’ It was inspiring and educational to watch that knock,” Gower reminisces.
And then, he takes you to December 1984, when England drew a Test against India at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, after India crawled to 437 for seven declared in their first innings. “When I was captaining England in India in 1984-85, I think that he had a few issues in his dressing room to sort out. I remember that during that Test, he allowed his team to bat for a long, long time. Afterwards, I was asked a question in the press conference about this, and I said, ‘Yes, he probably has’. And he called me: ‘The preacher,’” Gower recalls.
That is the other side of Gavaskar —feisty off the field too, who loves to give as good as he gets.
The first man to cross 10,000 Test runs, Gavaskar scored 13 of his 34 hundreds against the mighty West Indies pace attack. Naturally then, there is tremendous respect in the Caribbean for the ‘Little Master’. At Old Trafford, former West Indies captain
Clive Lloyd tells you: “Wish him a very happy birthday from my side. Ask him when is he taking me out for a drink!”
The ‘Supercat’ then reveals what he loved the most about Gavaskar. “He’s a great friend of mine. He was a solid player. What I admire about him is his concentration. It is something I wish I had. He’s been a tower of strength for India. He’s lasted very long. I think people like Sachin (Tendulkar) and a few others would’ve watched him. And they’ve sort of helped their careers along. He’s been an icon. A role model for Indian cricket, and for cricket in general,” said the West Indian great.
Was he the best batsman against Lloyd’s fearsome attack?. “He made a lot of runs against us, but later on, it was a little bit different … he still made runs, though. He made runs against some of the best bowlers of the world, which is why people are so enamoured with him. His record alone shows that he’s an icon,” he said.
Would Lloyd advise youngsters in West Indies cricket to watch his tapes? “If they had his concentration, we’d be way up there,” Lloyd says with a smile.
Gower says there were times when Gavaskar surprised him with his attacking batsmanship. “I’ve seen him in all sorts of different modes — the acquisitional mode, where he would compile run after run after run. I’ve seen him hit sixes. I always remember the opening over of the Jubilee Test in Bombay, where for some extraordinary reason he decided to hit John Lever into the long on stands for six in the first over. Now, I didn’t expect that,” says the ex-England skipper, himself known for his stylish strokeplay.
Decoding Gavaskar’s distinct personality, Gower says: “He’s an interesting character. He has a sharp humour and wit. I’ve always enjoyed Sunny’s company. I believe that he’s turned 70, but he still looks way younger.”
Gower feels that Gavaskar’s decision to begin playing with a skull cap in the later part of his career, was about being “sensible about the fact that a cricket ball can hurt.”
“Sunny’s technique was water-tight. The test of all batsmen is how they deal with fast bowling. He was one of the first men to wear some sort of protection around his head. Although he admitted later that a brain surgeon told him that the thing that he wore around his head was more dangerous than good, because it would have actually absorbed the pressure in a wrong way in case of an impact,” he says.
“We met a couple of weeks ago in London. A few years ago, when I was in Mumbai, I sought him out, and he was very affable and helpful for some advice that I needed. People like him are unique. He’s a unique character,” concluded Gower.
Gavaskar’s former captain, left-arm spin great Bishan Singh Bedi, also sent his wishes. “After compiling tons of Centuries this one frm #70 not out is very crucial fr the Original Little Master..arguably the Greatest India has ever had..Greetings Great Little Fella..& May U reach yur personal Ton without a runner..GodBless now & Always.!!” Bedi tweeted.