Growing up on a diet of my hero, SMG

 
There are certain moments that stay fresh in memory. It feels as if it happened only the other day. Like my first meeting with Sunil Gavaskar. I was a ball boy at the Wankhede stadium during the 1987 World Cup. My interest in cricket really took deep roots after we won the 1983 World Cup, and for an aspiring youngster, to be at the ground during the next edition of the World Cup and to watch my heroes from close quarters was a memorable experience.

What made it even more special was when Gavaskar called me to the Indian dressing room and introduced me to the then superstars of the Indian team. I had just entered my teens and just couldn’t believe my eyes. These were the men that I adored, and here I was, shaking hands with them. What’s more, he then spoke highly of me and my cricketing ability to his teammates. For me, it was a big moment, a huge inspiration. After all, how many cricketers get the opportunity to enter the Indian dressing room before making it to the national team?

I was then just a school cricketer, but from the way he treated me, it felt as if I had already played for India. I could feel his affection for me. Twenty-two years down the line, nothing has changed. I receive the same affection and love from him even today, and I consider myself fortunate in this regard.

In a lot of ways, 1987 was a watershed year for me. I remember batting particularly well that year, making more than 1,500 runs, and it was a huge disappointment when I didn’t get the award for the best junior cricketer from the Mumbai Cricket Association. I was just 14, so my disappointment was perfectly understandable! That’s when I got a letter from Gavaskar. He wrote that I should not be disappointed at not getting the award because bigger awards were in store for me.

That was a massive boost but as usual, he had saved the best for last. Right at the end of the letter, he mentioned that if I looked at the list of players who had received the award, there would be one name missing that hadn’t done too badly in international cricket! He was, of course, referring to himself, and that was a massive inspiration as well as a huge motivation. I thought if he didn’t get the award and went on to become the highest run-getter in Test history at that point, why should I feel demoralised and depressed. I still possess that letter. It was a timely and great source of inspiration. That letter is as prized and valuable as any other award I have received in my career.

That was the beginning of a long and cherished association, a bond that has grown stronger and deeper with the passage of time. Just before my Ranji Trophy debut, he gave me a pair of his batting pads which I was thrilled to use during the match. It was a very light pair, and not many youngsters in my age group could use those kind of pads. Even though I was pretty young, I could see that there was a special place in his heart for me, something I am as proud of now as I was then. Over the years, we have spent hours and hours in Mumbai and almost all cricket grounds of the world discussing cricket.
During our first few meetings, it was pretty much one-way traffic as I hardly spoke anything. For one thing, I was in awe of him; for another, I wanted to make the most of my good fortune in that I was privy to the wisdom of Sunil Gavaskar, and therefore determined to be a good listener and pick up whatever tips, advice and guidance came my way. Growing up, we had been fed on a diet of Sunil Gavaskar did this, Sunil Gavaskar did that.

When our coaches told us to follow a particular routine and we asked why, the reply invariably was ‘SMG did this’. He was the ultimate example, and to our coaches and to us, if he did something, then we had to do it as well. That’s also one of his great contributions to Indian cricket, and that’s one of the reasons why he will be remembered.

Any which way you look at it, he is an institution, an example, the benchmark that everyone has tried to follow. When he retired from international cricket, for our generation, 34 Test hundreds was the ultimate ambition. As I have said before, it had been driven into us at a very young age that we had to follow in his foot steps. Every time I made a hundred as a school kid, I would think SMG too must have done the same during his days as a schoolboy. Such was the impact he had on our generation of cricketers.

So much of a hold did he have on my psyche that even in my early days as an international cricketer, I used to watch videos of his batting. Needless to mention, during his playing days, I had seen a lot of him on television, but as they say, you just can’t have enough of certain things!

Equalling Gavaskar

I have been fortunate to have done a few special things myself. One of my abiding memories has to be my 34th Test century in Dhaka, against Bangladesh. For one thing, it meant that at least statistically, I had equalled him. What’s more, he was present at the ground to congratulate me on the feat, and that meant a lot to me.

It was a truly wonderful moment to be congratulated and hugged by him soon after crossing the boundary rope during a break soon after reaching my 34th Test hundred.
Seeing him standing there to receive me signified to me the coming together of my childhood days, my adolescence and the youth. After congratulating me, he told me, ‘Please enjoy the rare moments of becoming a member of a rare, elite club’. Really, it was a great feeling to climb the same peak as Gavaskar.

Afterwards, he gifted me with 34 bottles of champagne for equalling his record of Test centuries. I must say again that I have been fortunate to be receiving gifts from him again and again. When I got my 35th hundred at Feroze Shah Kotla against Sri Lanka , he was not in India. But just before dinner that night, he called me up from Nepal to congratulate me. I had really been waiting for that particular call, and it thrilled me no end when the call came through. People say he does not miss a special occasion and I can vouch that it is true.

I must mention that he has constantly helped me immensely by giving cricketing guidance all along. I am really fortunate that I have had the wisdom of a legend to fall back on. When I got the opportunity to write this piece on his 60th birthday, believe me, I pinched myself and said: “Time flies so fast.”

To me, he is still and will continue to remain my hero, the same person that I met first in 1987. Only, my affection and respect for him have increased by leaps and bounds over the years. Many happy returns, and here’s wishing you a 35th hundred!

Professional Management Group