When Sunil Gavaskar was introduced as the player dropped by Garfield Sobers ‘three-four times’

Mumbai: Cricket enthusiasts wherever they are from know who Sunil Gavaskar is and therefore people usually feel that The Little Masters, one of the greatest batsman the game has ever seen, does not need any introduction at functions and events celebrating his life and achievements.

But Gavaskar says at the ripe young age of 75, he needs to be introduced to the gathering as he quit the game 40 years ago.

“You do need an introduction because you know, in the introduction almost certainly only nice things are going to be said about you. So it’s always good to have an introduction. Rather than saying, oh, ‘Sunil Gavaskar needs no introduction’. Of course I need an introduction. After so many years I want to listen to some good things said about me,” Gavaskar said at the official release of a book on him titled ‘Sunny G’, presented by cricket philanthropist and enthusiast and author Shyam Bhatia and written by journalist Debashish Dutta.

The book compiles anecdotal accounts about Sunil Gavaskar by his friends, family and those who played with and against him.

As the book takes a fresh look at his life from the eye of those who have known him for decades, Gavaskar in a lighter vein dwelled on the need for an introduction, narrating a couple of incidents from his life.

“This takes me back to an incident which concerned my uncle Madhav Mantri. Mantri, as those of you who follow the game know, played four Test matches for India and he was called for school sports day presentation. And the principal of the school asked him how do I introduce you?

“And he said ‘look, none of these boys know me. I played many years ago, I retired many years ago. So you just ask all these people, all the boys, who is your favourite cricketer is and then say I’m his uncle.

“The principal said, it’s a very good idea. So, at the assembly where all the boys were there So the assembly he asked the boys, ‘before I introduce the chief guest here today who’s come to distribute the prizes I want to ask all of you who is your favorite cricketer?

“And in one voice they all said Kapil Dev. So, you can imagine what happened with the introduction,” said Gavaskar extracting pearls of laughter from the gathering.

He the went on to narrate an incident from his debut series at home when Ajit Wadekar’s Indian side defeated the West Indies for the first time in a Test match. Gavaskar played a major role in the contributing important runs.

“Going back many years ago when I first came into the indian team I was fortunate enough that none other than Garfield Sobers dropped two really simple catches (in his first Test). That gave me an opportunity to get another life and score some runs and we won.

“We beat the West Indies for the first time. And therefore big celebrations were on. Celebrations here at the Brabourne Stadium where the BCCI had everybody. And so the master of ceremonies was introducing the players.

“He started by saying, oh, this is Ajit Wadekar, you know, the captain of the Indian team. You know, the first captain to win a series against West Indies, he outthought Garfield Sobers.

“All the nice things about Venkataraghavan, the vice captain bowled so well, took five wickets in a crucial game, bowled Gary Sobers round his legs.

“Then he introduced Dilip Sardesai, gutsy cricketer, had six partnerships, the renaissance man of Indian cricket. So all these, you know, it just went on and on. And I was the baby of the team then and expected to be introduced at the end. And sure enough, when it came to me, instead of introducing me by my name, the master of ceremony said, ‘let me now introduce you to the person who Gary Sobers dropped three, four times,” said Gavaskar to accompaniment of guffiws by the people gathered.

He then narrated another incident that happened in the same year, a few months later after India defeated England for the first time in a series.

“Those who follow the game know that in that Test, John Snow (England fast bowler) gave me a little shovel while I was looking to take a single and I was sent sprawling and I had to sort of, you know, get to the crease on my hands and knees, regain the crease and it became a big incident and Jhon Snow was dropped from the next match for indiscipline and we won the series.

So again, the introductions are the same. So for Wadekar, you know, he outthought the rival captain, Venkat, Bishan Bedi and Chandra, who took six wickets for 38. So, when it came to Gavaskar, the baby of the team, the Master of Ceremonies said, “Let me introduce you to the man who John Snow shoved to the ground’. So, that’s how it was at the start of my career,” said Gavaskar.

He said as a kid he was always introduced as Madha Mantri’s nephew and that continued well into his Test career, making him wonder what should he do to make people introduce him by his name.

He also recalled how after a lean period when he did not have to attend many functions, the team again started winning matches and on one occasion he was introduced as “Gundappa Vishwanath’s brother-in-law”.

Gavaskar also advised the readers to take some of the incidents mentioned in the book with a pinch of salt as people tend to exaggerate things a little.

–IANS