This is Part 3 of Legends of Indian Cricket, our 20-part series on the players who shaped the game in India. New here? Start with Part 1: Vinoo Mankad, or read the previous part, Part 2: Bishan Singh Bedi.
Before helmets were common, a small man from Bombay walked out to face the fiercest fast bowling in the world, and kept scoring runs. Sunil Gavaskar, born in 1949, gave Indian batting a new belief that it could stand up to anyone.
A sensational start
On his debut series in the West Indies in 1971, Gavaskar scored 774 runs in four Tests, then a record for a debut series, as India won a Test series in the Caribbean for the first time.
Facing the fast men
Gavaskar's reputation was built against the great West Indian and Pakistani fast bowlers of the 1970s and 1980s. He scored 13 of his Test centuries against the West Indies, often without a helmet, relying on technique, patience and judgement of what to leave.
Records that stood for years
- The first batter in history to score 10,000 Test runs, in 1987.
- He held the record for the most Test centuries, 34, until 2005.
- 125 Tests, 10,122 runs at an average of 51.12.
- Captained India in 47 Tests.
1983 and beyond
Gavaskar was part of the team that won the 1983 World Cup under Part 4: Kapil Dev, and captained India to victory at the 1985 World Championship of Cricket in Australia. He scored his only ODI century in the 1987 World Cup.
After playing
Gavaskar became one of cricket's best-known commentators and writers, and the Border–Gavaskar Trophy between India and Australia is named after him and Allan Border.
Legacy
Gavaskar showed Indian batters that they could dominate the world stage. The next "Little Master", Part 5: Sachin Tendulkar, grew up watching him and has often said Gavaskar was his hero.
Statistics are for international cricket and are correct to the best of our knowledge as of October 2026; figures for active players will change.
Next in the series: Part 4: Kapil Dev.
