Sunil Gavaskar: India's 10,122 Test Runs — First to 10,000 in Tests, 34 Centuries, Little Master

Sunil Manohar Gavaskar was born on 10 July 1949 in Bombay (now Mumbai), Maharashtra, India. He was a right-handed opening batsman who is widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of Test cricket and one of the finest openers of any era. He played 125 Tests for India between 1971 and 1987, scoring 10,122 runs at an average of 51.12 with 34 centuries — becoming the first batsman in Test history to score 10,000 Test runs (a record he set in 1987). He is known as 'The Little Master' — a reference both to his relatively modest height and his mastery of batting technique.

774 Runs on Debut and 34 Test Centuries

Gavaskar announced himself on the Test stage in extraordinary fashion. In his debut Test series against the West Indies in the Caribbean in February–March 1971, he scored 774 runs at an average of 154.80 — an almost unbelievable performance against the best bowling attack in the world. India won the series 1-0, their first Test series win in the West Indies. Over his career, Gavaskar scored 34 Test centuries — a world record that stood until Brian Lara equalled it in 1994 and Sachin Tendulkar eventually surpassed it. His technique against fast bowling, particularly against the West Indian pace quartet of the 1970s and 1980s, was considered the finest in the world.

First to 10,000 Test Runs

Gavaskar became the first batsman in the history of Test cricket to score 10,000 Test runs during the 1986–87 season. He finished with 10,122 runs at 51.12 in 125 Tests — a record that stood until Allan Border surpassed it in 1993. He also played 108 ODIs, scoring 3,092 runs at 35.13. He was part of the Indian team that won the 1983 Cricket World Cup in England. He retired from all formats of international cricket in 1987. He is considered one of the ten greatest batsmen in Test history and one of the finest opening batsmen in any era.