Special moment: Celebrating the original Little Master

Sunil Gavaskar must have been taken back a few decades when he saw scores of fans race down the stairs at the Narendra Modi stadium in Motera to catch a glimpse of him.

This crowd, much like the rest of the cricket fraternity, has gotten used to him standing at the ground at intervals with a mic in hand and a floppy hat resting gracefully on his head.

On Saturday, the commentator made way for the player. The original ‘Little Master’ was felicitated on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of his Test debut with a commemorative Test cap inside a glass case from Jay Shah, the BCCI Secretary. The Mumbaikar also commemorated the occasion by ‘making his debut’ on Instagram.

One section of the stands was draped by a banner with a picture of him from the memorable Test against West Indies and had #SMG10K printed at the bottom. He walked with the memorabilia in hand to the sounds of cheering fans before resuming commentary duties for the fourth Test between India and England, one which the hosts won by an innings and 25 runs. Coincidentally, Gavaskar scored his 10,000th run here in Ahmedabad on March 7, 1987, against Pakistan.

Even as these moments blended into one big feel-good cluster, it was impossible to ignore the nostalgia, Gavaskar’s first stint with the Indian team began on March 6, 1971, in Port of Spain. He scored a magical 65 but what followed has what made him an all-time great. He compiled a series tally of 774 runs, a record which is still unbroken, and guided India to their first series victory against West Indies. Until then, India had won only one Test in 25 attempts.

There were many more firsts to follow in a well-chronicled career, like going past Donald Bradman’s mark of 29 centuries in Tests, the famed 10,000-run mark. In the very next Test, in Bengaluru, Gavaskar hung his boots with a career average of 51.12 from 125 Tests, including 34 centuries and a highest of an unbeaten 236.

He didn’t have as much success in ODIs, scoring at an average of 35.13 with one century in 108 games, but he was part of the World Cup-winning team of 1983 and led India to World Championship title two years later in Australia. Statistically, Gavaskar may not seem as impressive now with Sachin Tendulkar well ahead and Virat Kohli hot on his heels, but ask the two septuagenarians on the fence waiting under the hot sun for an autograph, they’ll tell you their journey as fans of the sport began with the image of Gavaskar on the television or at a ground near them.

No helmet. No theatrics. Pure batting.