On the occasion of its golden jubilee celebrations, the Sports Journalists’ Association of Mumbai (SJAM) has chosen cricket legend Sunil Manohar Gavaskar for the second Lifetime Achievement Award after the Badminton legend Nandu Natekar. The award will be presented to Gavaskar at the C.K.Nayudu Hall, Cricket Club of India (CCI) on December 11, 2016.
Gavaskar, 67, has completed a memorable 50-year connect with Indian cricket. He made his first class debut representing Vazir Sultan XI against Dungarpur XI in the quarter-final of the Moin-Ud-Dowlah Gold Cup in October 1966 and thereafter the Ranji Trophy debut for Bombay against Mysore in the 1970 semi-final at the Brabourne Stadium.
The batting maestro amassed a phenomenal 774 runs in his debut Test series against the West Indies in 1970-71. He became the first batsman in annals of Test cricket to cross the 10000 run mark in his 124th Test at the Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad.
He was also a part of Kapil Dev-led Indian team that won the third Prudential World Cup in 1983. He was the captain of the team that won the Benson & Hedges World Championship tournament in Australia in 1985.
After bidding adieu to international cricket in 1987 against Pakistan at the M.A. Chinnaswamy Stadium in March 1987, Gavaskar has spent much of his time in the media world. He became the Chairman of the BCCI’s Technical Committee and ICC Cricket Committee.
He has been an ICC Match Referee, Chairman of the Mumbai Cricket Association’s Cricket Improvement Committee (CIC), batting coach of the Indian team. But it’s as a media personality,columnist and television commentator – that the former India batting maestro has kept his connect with the game and a legion of Indian fans.
Gavaskar’s Test record: 125 Test matches, 10122 runs, Ave.51.12, Highest 236 not out, 34 x 100s including 4 x 200s, 45 x 50s, 108 catches.
ODI record: 108 matches, 3092 runs, Highest 103 not out, 1 x 100, 27 x 50s.
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