Page 8 - Seniors Today - March Issue
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At the Queen’s birthday party hosted by the British High Commission in New Delhi in 2019, Sunil Gavaskar with High
Commissioner Sir Dominic Asquith (centre) and Ministry of External Affairs diplomat A Gitesh Sarma (left)
That Gavaskar himself was conscious of generations – of rich standing perceive him.
stats and numbers cannot be glossed over.
In fact, he challenged himself to achieving ‘No better batsman’
milestones. During England’s tour of India In 1989 when India toured the West Indies,
in 1981, after Geoff Boycott went past Gary Vivian Richards asked me about Sanjay
Sobers’ record, Gavaskar told the England Manjrekar’s antecedents. Manjrekar had
opener, mildly taunting, “Enjoy it for two made a sterling century at Barbados,
years.” True to his word, within a couple of defying a hostile pace attack led by Malcolm
years, the record was Gavaskar’s. Marshall with impeccable technique and
In 1987, playing in the MCC Bicentennial exquisite strokes.
match at Lord’s, Gavaskar made a “Sanjay’s from Bombay, which is the
monumental 188. A century at the ‘home nursery of Indian cricket,” I volunteered.
of cricket’ had eluded him for 17 years. “If “Is he related to Gavaskar?” asked the
Gavaskar decided that he wanted a century, Master Blaster. “We have some very famous
very little could stop him; he had that kind ‘kars’ from Bombay, related to each other by
of mental resolve,” says Yajurvindra Singh cricket,” I told him half-jokingly.
who played with and against him in the To my surprise, Richards went on to extol
1970s. Gavaskar’s technical brilliance, of which
Statistics highlight and embellish a career. he found some echo in Manjrekar’s batting.
But there are also other, perhaps even more “There was no better batsman than Sunny,
pertinent, ways of discovering the value of a especially when it came to playing fast
player’s worth. This comes from how those bowling. He was a master. No wonder,
in the fraternity – predecessors, peers and you’ve got a batsman like Manjrekar now.”
contemporaries, and those from subsequent Javed Miandad, street-smart and brilliant
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