Sunil Gavaskar: The Little Master — First to 10,000 Test Runs, 34 Centuries, India's Opener

Sunil Manohar Gavaskar was born on 10 July 1949 in Mumbai, Maharashtra. He made his Test debut against West Indies in Port of Spain, Trinidad in March 1971 — scoring 65 in his first innings — and went on to score 774 runs in that series (a record for a debut series at the time). He became India's most prolific Test batsman over the following two decades, known for his technical perfection, concentration, and ability to occupy the crease against the best fast bowling in the world.

First to 10,000 Test Runs and Record Centuries

Sunil Gavaskar became the first batsman in cricket history to score 10,000 Test runs, reaching the milestone against Pakistan in March 1987. He scored 10,122 Test runs at 51.12 with 34 Test centuries across 125 Tests. His 34 centuries was the all-time record at the time of his retirement in 1987 — surpassed by Allan Border in 1993 and then Sachin Tendulkar, who reached 51 Test centuries. He was particularly dominant against the West Indies fast bowling attack — scoring 2,749 runs in 27 Tests against the most feared pace bowling combination in cricket history.

Technique and Legacy

Sunil Gavaskar's batting technique was classical and technically orthodox — he had very limited back-foot movement and relied on precise judgment of line and length. His helmet-less batting (for much of his career) against the West Indies pace attack — Marshall, Holding, Roberts, Garner — without a helmet was a mark of courage and concentration. He was named Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1980. He is still regarded as India's most important cricket journalist-commentator since retirement.