Legends of Cricket: Bettor.com’s World XI – Sunil Gavaskar
He brought a new dimension to India’s batting prowess. He played both fast and slow bowling with consummate skill. He was both a thoughtful and shrewd captain, the master craftsman Sunil Gavaskar is bettor.com’s legend of cricket and part of our World XI
legends of cricket.
At the Oval in 1979, Sunil Gavaskar scored one of the greatest centuries of modern times, a chanceless error free 221 in just over 8 hours. Sunil Gavaskar was without a doubt the Viv Richards of the subcontinent. The ease with which this maestro carefully
yet beautifully painted his shots like strokes from the paint brush of Van Gough reminded the fans of the handcrafted Swiss watches known for their precision in timing.
Very often, India would get into situations in the 1970’s where they knew that they would not be able to win in Tests. There have been only a few notable wins by India during that era. However, during such vulnerable times, the 1 billion people of India
looked up to Sunil Gavaskar to step in and save the match. At that time, saving a match was like winning and Gavaskar was the man who would do it for India. At just 5 feet 4, the little master built his game around a compact defence and inculcated in himself
the discipline to take calculated risks.
This man had an insatiable appetite for runs. However, he scored them in such an elegant fashion that he left many of his contemporaries awestruck. The first man to get 10,000 runs and 30 Test centuries for India, Gavaskar was without a doubt the lynchpin
of the 1970’s and 80’s. He was the first great batsman to have represented India; he was fearless against all sorts of oppositions. Boasting an average of 65 against the juggernauts of cricket during his time and averaging 51 for India, the amount of promise
that he had brought to Indian cricket was mind blowing. His stats as an opener and on the 2nd position are as impressive as they get.
This man averages 48 as an opener in Tests, and 78 playing as the number two batsman. However he played at the number 2 slot for only two years. His entire game was constructed carefully around a solid technique and great concentration. At a time when there
were no helmets against the likes of Malcolm Marshal, Michael Holding, Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson, this genius lent a profusion of science and art into the realm of Indian batting, bringing with him something that was unknown in the Indian camp before
him.
His debut performance for http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 against the formidable Windies era left the giants a little shaken. Scoring 774 runs in the series at an average of almost 155, this man was a revelation for Indian cricket. He was voted as the Wisden Cricketer of the Year
in 1980 and he certainly knew how to save India from the gallows in tense situations.
In 1983-84, following a dry patch against the West Indies for a few matches, he scored his 30th test hundred in great fashion when India were 0 for 2. He went on to score 236 not out in that innings and in doing so surpassed the all time Test
record of the great Sir Donald Bradman. Even though he could not be termed as an attacking batsman, Gavaskar had the uncanny ability of keeping the scoreboard ticking. With 34 Test centuries and 45 half centuries, this man played in a different era against
bowlers that had taken the cricketing world by storm, devastating the opposition.
Gavaskar was tough against them and despite his low stature he would pull beautiful hook shots to fast bowlers and never let them intimidate him. After his performance against the West Indies, Lord Relator wrote the Gavaskar Calypso, a poem where he praised
Gavaskar and how he batted like an impregnable wall.
“It was Gavaskar
The real master
Just like http://www.senore.com/Cricket/A-Wall-c41352
We couldn't out Gavaskar at all
Not at all
You know the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/West-Indies-c760 couldn't out Gavaskar at all.”
Therefore, Bettor.com has decided to induct this champion cricketer in to the all time World XI with the legends of cricket.
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