Sunil Gavaskar reflects on his friendship with Border, while also discussing his time spent on the field, the fun and friendship in the commentary box, and, most importantly his motivation at the age of 75.
Gavasinder, son of Bishan Singh Bedi is keen to see Sunil Gavaskar. Harsha Bhogle goes to the commentators’ box in Brisbane, leans over to Gavaskar and says a few words, provoking Gavaskar to listen up, notice the opening end of the box, and get up. Former Australian fast bowler Carl Rackemann comes to greet ‘Sunny’. Bedi’s son is introduced by Gavaskar, and Gavasinder explains how his father chose his name in honor of Gavaskar. All, quite amusingly, grinned.
All of the sudden, Gavasinder. He carved out a question for Gavaskar: “Sir Sunny, I sometimes think what would have been my name had you not scored a hundred and double hundred at the Port of Spain Test in 1971?” Gavaskar enjoys the euphoria and starts rattling out the names of a couple of other Indians on that tour. “Maybe one of them would have been turned around for you!” he says.
It has been immensely so the watching of Gavaskar on Australian grounds. Join the other retired Australian cricketers in saying this about the most recognized Indian voice in cricket – they have respect for him. Even so, such is his demeanour that jokes abound when he is around. He has known Allan Border from the end of 70’s and has had a special bond with him so much that Sunil Gavaskar has been known to address him in a special endearing term in Hindi, which is a no-no for this newspaper.
The two legends addressing each other in that manner is both bewildering and amusing. However, in Perth, Sunil Gavaskar was worried about Border’s health since he has professed to having Parkinson’s. At Brisbane, however, Border appeared to be okay, and the pair was often spotted having a good laugh in a long corridor housing the various media boxes.
“A.B. (Border) is my favorite. The relationship blossomed when both of us played for the Rest of the World team vs MCC during the MCC’s 200th anniversary celebrations in 1987. For that, we spent three weeks, where we moved together and played a couple of counties between the MCC game. We really got to know each other, the culture, the person. It’s a little what I suppose the IPL does now – bring people from various countries together. I feel honored, privileged and blessed that the cricket series between Australia and India bears our name. What a tremendous series – this is a blessing,” Gavaskar explains to Sky Sports 4U.
Wayne Phillips, the erstwhile wicket-keeper, related that upon reaching at Adelaide Test in this series, he was carrying a bat and asked ‘Sunny, can you sign this for me please?’ Gavaskar complied, but in such stylish speech that the whole of India had only once heard in that ad of Dinesh Suitings when he takes the baseball bat of an irate person and after striking his hand signs it quite elegantly.
In Melbourne, Gavaskar mentioned the name of another Australian wicketkeeper but in a contrasting light. As part of MCG’s promotional newsletter, there was a segment about India’s Tour of Australia during the 1977-78 season. On the inside part of the page, there’s Gavaskar in a young age with a glass of champagne, smiling, and two of the captains, Bob Simpson and Bedi are captured during their laughter. Above them are the scorecards from the game.
The MCG media security officer asked Gavaskar to sign the picture. Sunil Gavaskar turns the page, glances at the photograph and his attention is immediately glued to the illustrations of the scorecard. This was the second instance that Sunil Gavaskar opened in the innings of the match after remaining out in the first match but scored as many as 118 runs in his second appearance in the game, which India won by 222 runs as 12 Aussies were dismissed by BS Chandrasekhar during the contest.
Sunil Gavaskar winces when he remembers gthis incident that took place 47 years ago. “It was a short ball from Thommo and I had gone for the pull,” as he states this, he seems to be wincing. He continues, “(shot with a bigger wince) I gloved it behind to Steve Rixon.” The bemused guard looks up and says, “But Sunny, you hit a hundred in the second, this card tells me!” Gavaskar shrugs. It was a day later after the first innings in which Rohit Sharma had aggressively thrown the bat outside the off-stump trying to pull the ball.
So, Sunil Gavaskar is asked if his shot to Jeff Thomson was something similar, and Gavaskar is aghast. “No no, not from outside off and all. It was at the body, going down, leg, just gloved it,” he says. Once again, he imitates the waist-height pull with gusto, out of an imaginary force. Guard tries to change the topic now, “You have not aged much Sunny, going by this pic. It’s forty seven years since then.” Gavaskar smilingly leans down and says, “If you dye your hair like me, then you too can look young.” This evokes laughter.
While playing the game, Sunil Gavaskar makes examples clear, during the entire practice he can be really angry at times. A quick reply to his question, ‘when you criticise the team, do you do it emotionally or do you do it in an analytical manner?’ I think the emotional reaction is more psychological than biological. For instance, if an anti-Indian statement is made, the entire body seems to be in a shock mode, why is that so?” he is asked.
“I feel proud to be residing in the country of India. Most importantly, if anyone speaks against my country, I will defend myself first. I mean, there are some Indian cricketers I don’t’ particular support, but if someone goes and speaks something that is uncalled for, I will go out of my way to defend him simply because he is an Indian. So, I feel the same about Indian cricket in general,” says Gavaskar.
The reason for which he gets upset often times is a foreign magazine or a player talking about the BCCI in negative light. “And I ask you how your contemporaries have reacted to India’s dominance,” This is a quick-fire question so Gavaskar doesn’t feel the need to stop for breath. “They have not really accepted it.
They grudgingly accept because they are getting money out of it. They aren’t willing to accept the fact and look at how once England and Australia had veto power. It happened so many years ago and so many of them now talking had no objection about it; they didn’t voice out to change that system. They didn’t stand with us, then. It tells you much, doesn’t it?”
He articulates: “At this stage, Yes and No are not votes that can be placed, any country gets 1 vote, if you have a problem approach your representative not India. India is not a part of any decision and perforce submission has been ordered out. Did He take a pee during the meeting? Who was in charge, when the other countries did this? They used to have veto power right, back then.”
Not long after the chat, Sunil Gavaskar would also call out Rishabh Pant’s lap shot during the first innings at Melbourne, “Stupid, stupid, stupid!” And also suggest Pant should be walking into the Australian dressing room. It was particularly not in context of Pant’s shot, because the talk was before that and he has spoken of that walk that sometimes he is annoyed with the stupid dismissals or the approach of a team.
It was more of the late Richie Benaud, the rest cricketer-commentators, a glimpse where once he vaunted his baton skills several times but that he hasn’t been able to save one of his recommended baton prior to that.
“It is a well understood fact that I have a penchant for Indian cricket that runs deep, like all other cricket fans. I may not be within the team environment, but a fragment of me resides there and will do so forever. That would explain why I get agitated if some players underperform, it isn’t a personal issue, so to speak, If such an attitude is held, it implies you consider that person as having the potential.
Perhaps he is an average player and if that’s the case, one is better off not mentioning the player’s name at all. Only when you rate, and know what the player is capable of do you begin to speak with fervor about the player concerned.”
Over the years, wherever he finds himself in the midst of a cricketing series, Sunil Gavaskar seems to have a recollection of a cricketing incident from his past. He visited Trinidad in 2011 and the crowd urged him to step out and dance for them, which he did. He was in Antigua, that tour, and there were some other players around him and he was having a word or two with Andy Roberts, who was in a joking mood. After the legendary West Indian exited the scene, Gavaskar turned around and said, “Yeh hansta bhi hai?!”.
The 1983 cricket World Cup winning team captain, Gavaskar, reminiscing upon his grievances from the past ‘He would never speak a word, let alone laugh, and that is why I firmly state that commentary has changed me: while all of the faces mentioned were once foes of mine, they are now my associates. Botham in England, Andy there, Ian Chappell here, or Wasim Akram. He was young but he did play against me. We all have great relationships now,’ he says with a grin after the seamless banter from an antagonistic turn of events.
He watches as the younger generation of Indians make most of the opportunities in the game, and with time this sharpens the memory of him being associated with the sport, ‘I do not bear witness to that inner vision when I walk into a stadium but rather an action that makes it possible for me to witness a moment in time where I am somewhere watching the game play unfold. It just goes back to the time when Pat Cummins bowled KL Rahul in the first innings of a match in Australia.
The ball moved off the line and took out his off stump. Right away, it made me remember Chandra taking out either Bob Simpson or Peter Dooley with a ball that started on the line and moved off to hit the target. In a similar fashion, which a lot of people do not takes into consideration, Greg moved too far to the side, so Karsan Ghavri bowled through Greg Chappell’s leg stump,’ he then adds humorously.
“One recollects that, is it not?” Sunil Gavaskar chuckles. “The MCG did remind me personally of two memories. First was in 1981 when we defended a modest total of 143, that is my most outstanding memory as that day was quite special. The other is recent, two years ago, when India beat Pakistan and I was there as a commentator. I was around the ground and then I must jump up and down, it was such a thrilling experience. At one stage it looked impossible na?” He says with a hint of laughter, “Also, I had not practiced that day, di cardio so I jumped!”
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At seventy-five years old, he still works, covering the game he loves. Hard to imagine when stating this as well that he has been a commentator for nearly four decades, and last played a test in 1987. Indian cricket in particular pulls me away of England or South Africa and Australia versus Pakistan commentaries away. It is my connection to Indian cricket. He has also noted while talking about his connection with Indian cricket tht Amitabh Bacchhan is his inspiration.
He also emphasizes on the fact that one has to keep working or else stagnation is unavoidable as ‘that’s it’ Also, it is clear from his work that he has a voice. “I absolutely love this game, it has given me everything,” he said at the InterContinental Hotel. He has done a lot for his country and for cricket in general, adding to this comment, Indian cricket is the umbilical cord that (he) can’t snap. It is his source of motivation, reason and inspiration.
Times were different when he was growing up, for starters he explains his heroes flight and his plan to engage American viewers was clearly seen because I was in the right place at the right time; television was becoming increasingly popular. Currently, he has the best seat in the house because he works for the headlines, as his team has been torn apart he continues to see new stars taking the lead role in Indian cricket. In doing so, he has witnessed first-hand the advancement of the game not just pause but he was present to witness the evolution of the beautiful sport.
“Let’s go” shouts a bollywood star as Sunil Gavaskar rises from his chair ready to shoot.
“There was this hilarious incident during commentary, so I guess I have to share it. It’s quite difficult to take my word for it. I remember being live with Ian Chappell and so I had to mention that so many girls would say to me: ‘You know Ian, the best lovers amongst men are the wicketkeepers!’ So Ian was curious, and placed his microphone on the table and asked : ‘How come?’ I quipped, ‘Because they get up at every opportunity!’ Ian let out laughter while retorting, A guy like Rod Marsh, I don’t know about guys like that. He had a fondness for drinking beer like no one I’ve ever known!’”
The lift doors open and he vanishes, and as you look down as you are starting to come out of the lift, he stylishly begins walking as Australian fans cheer, and Gavaskar is delighting in it. He cheers back at his fans, takes a few photographs with them and in the heat of the moment remembers that he has to go to his show. The link is still strong.
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