Belated Happy Birthday, Gavaskar

“Fluke- part II”, Gavaskar’s explanation for India winning the World Championship of Cricket in Australia in 1985.

Gavaskar was and still remains my all time favourite cricketer not because he was the most accomplished opening batsmen the world has seen since his time but because of his ready wit, sense of humour and an intellectual approach towards all aspects of the game. He knew how to put down the most fearsome bowling attack- but who doesn’t know that? He knew how to put down the all powerful BCCI bosses who in those days treated cricketers with only slightly more respect than their household servants. They earned paltry match fees and little perks. Gavaskar, along with Bishensingh Bedi formed players’ association, took the board head on and began a process of change in the fortunes of the sportspersons. He also knew how to put down the Press. Once in a press conference when asked to explain a band-aid on his forehead, he replied, “I had a fight with Kapil Dev”.

He is the only Indian cricketer to have penned down his memoirs, ie without services of ghost or collaborative writers. ‘Sunny Days’ is immensely enjoyable to read and again a testimony to the days when cricketers came from a stock of college graduates and not school drop-outs. (There used to be a rumour that Dilip Vengsarkar took so long to finish his B.Com. was due to Poddar college deliberately not passing him to keep him in the college team!)

Gavaskar made his debut in the Indian test team at the age of 21 after graduating from St. Xavier’s college. What a debut it was! His amassing 774 runs in four tests with an average of 154.8 in the 1971 series in West Indies still remains a record. The series began his love affair with the Caribbean. They even composed calypsos for him:

“It was Gavaskar
The real master
Just like a wall
We couldn't out Gavaskar at all
Not at all
You know the West Indies couldn't out Gavaskar at all”.
http://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/story/120290.html

That series also began his love affair with the West Indian pace battery. He scored more runs against them on their home turf than anybody else. Imagine demolishing a combined attack of the likes of Roberts, Holding, Garner and later the likes of Clark without wearing a helmet! The highlight in my mind is the 3rd Test of the 1976 series in which India successfully chased 403 runs in the last innings. Both Gavaskar and Vishwanath scored a century in it.

It is true that Gavaskar hated to loose his wicket. Somebody please make a chart of all his 214 test innings and his wicket in the order of the fall of wickets. My hunch is that more dots will appear in the latter five positions. I know that he carried his bat at least once if not more (i.e. the entire team got out in front of him!) We all remember his last test innings in 1987 against Pakistan at Bangalore on a crumbling pitch, his valiantly holding the fort almost till the very end before succumbing to a dubious decision at 96. Pakistan won the match by 16 runs.

Why he had to retire when batsmen who replaced him as an opener, and there were about a dozen in quick succession, were not even quarter as good as him.
But that is Gavaskar for you.

It is generally believed that Gavaskar, though a Master of the Test genre was a goner in the limited overs format. That he couldn’t adapt his ‘defensive’ style to this more aggressive form of cricket. I disagree. He was too clever a cricketer not to adapt. For one, he adopted a more rigorous fitness regimen and became a specialist fielder in the deep and becoming much sharper slip and close-in fielder too. Recall the match against Pakistan in 1995 Rothman’s 4 Nation Cup at Sharjah. India bowled out the opposition for 87 while defending a meager score of 125 in 50 overs. Gavaskar took four catches in the slip.
http://thatscricket.oneindia.in/odi/1985/rothmans-four-nations-cup-1984-85/ind-
vs-pak-sc-45749.html

Talking about one day cricket, India reaching the finals of the 1983 Prudential world cup, let alone winning it, is considered a very big surprise. The ‘Fluke- II’ comment was made as a reference to this. We will never get tired of watching the highlights of that historic match; we have memorized it ball by ball. Though, why was it a surprise? Did we not beat the favourites in the very first Group B match on 10th June at Old Trafford? India won by 34 runs, after scoring 262. (Anything above 250 was considered HUGE in those days).

So, maybe 10th June 1983 was a surprise. Was it really? Wind the clock back by a couple of months to 29th March 1983- the 2nd ODI in which India beat the mighty West Indies by 27 runs after scoring…hold your breath…282 runs. This probably was the first time when the Indian team believed in itself in the one-day format. Gavaskar made 90 in 117 balls. I feel, this victory holds the key in understanding our changed performance in the world cup following immediately after the WI tour.
http://thatscricket.oneindia.in/odi/1983/india-in-west-indies-1982-83/ind-vs-wi-sc-43340.html

Exceptions don’t prove a rule and in Gavaskar’s case, there is no need to rely on exceptions. Figures speak for themselves:
http://www.cricinfo.com/india/content/player/28794.html

Recently, on 10th July while watching news report of celebrations of his 60th birthday, I was reminded of one occasion in the past when my friends extracted a treat of samosa and chai from me on a 10th July in the college canteen, exploiting their knowledge that I was such a huge fan of his.