The Royal Calcutta Turf Club played host to an intriguing anecdotal session organised by the Ladies Study Group starring Sunil Gavaskar, India’s ‘original Little Master’, on November 19. His inimitable wit and charm regaled the audience on topics both on and off the field, in a chat moderated by sports anchor Gaurav Kapur, where Sunny, unlike his batting, seldom played with a straight bat.
FISHING OUTSIDE THE OFF STUMP: THE ORIGIN STORY
For all his technical prowess, even the great Gavaskar was susceptible to the odd out-swinger; but, if you thought that was down to the bowler, you would be wrong, at least according to Sunny, who presented his own “theory”!
“A while after I was born (on July 10, 1949) in Mumbai, I got swapped with another baby in the hospital ward. The authorities probably got confused after the cleaning session. It was my uncle who had spotted the mistake; he had initially noticed a small hole near my ear after my birth, and when he did not see the same hole in the new child, he knew something was wrong. In the meantime, however, I was placed beside a fisherwoman who too had recently given birth.... Now, it must have been during that spell that her inclinations got transferred to me (laughs), because whenever I would come out to bat during my career, I kept on fishing outside my off stump!”
Take that with a barrel of sea salt for if there was one batsman who knew where his off stump was, it was Sunil Manohar Gavaskar.
MAN OF STEEL
The courage and discipline that Sunil Gavaskar showcased throughout his career in facing the most lethal pace bowlers without a helmet already find due recognition in the annals of cricketing folklore. But why exactly did the man from Mumbai never fancy wearing a helmet? “It made me uncomfortable…it was a practical problem, and not a show of machismo,” said the opener.
He ultimately took to wearing a skull cap due to the insistence of none other than his great Pakistani rival, Imran Khan. “The skull cap I used to wear was modelled on the one worn by Mike Brearley. One big advantage I felt in wearing it was that it was very light… but once this neurosurgeon had examined my skull cap well after I had retired (at the MCC memorabilia section), and said that the head gear was so light that the player wearing it would have died on the spot were he to receive a blow on the head.... But, then again, I have been hit a few times (smiles), and I am still here!” No wonder a certain Vivian Richards had told the Little Master that he was “made of steel”.
FRENEMIES LED BY IAN
“It is funny how off the field I have been close to the very people who wanted to knock my head off while I was batting,” recalled Gavaskar as he named Ian Botham, Michael Holding and Imran Khan among his friendliest rivals. Sunny went on to narrate how Ian Botham used to be an “absolute nuisance” during his county days. “Ian was one of those people who could not sit still at one place, especially when there was no play (due to rain). He would always be up to some sort of mischief… at times, he would plaster the opposition players’ bats with bananas. This happened once with one of my teammates, who had decided to confront Ian for his misdemeanours. But then, when he marched into the other dressing room, and saw Ian bare-chested, he had second thoughts and backed down (laughs).”
“Another of Ian’s pranks would be to find out the best dressed player in the opposition team and quietly sneak into his dressing room. Thereafter, he would threaten to pour whitener all over the player’s suit until his opponent had promised to buy him dinner for the night!”
DRESS CODE: SHIRTLESS TIE
During Gavaskar’s time with the national team, there used to be the concept of a Sunday Club, a weekly session of fun and frolic meant to increase camaraderie among players. The dress code at such get-togethers would be imaginative, and often weirdly so. “All the players had to strictly follow the weekly dress code, or else the president (of the Sunday Club) could fine them… we would be asked to wear all sorts of things… from socks on hands to a tie with no shirt. I remember how one of the guys once wore a tie tucked into his shorts! Also, we had to use the hotel elevators to reach the place of the meeting, and you can imagine how awkward it must have been for us to be seen like this by other people staying at the hotel!”
“During such evenings, there would also be multiple toasts and everyone used to enjoy themselves thoroughly… these interactions did a good job of serving as ice-breakers between the seniors and the juniors.”
GREATEST MOMENTS AND TOUGHEST OPPONENTS
“Without a doubt, the greatest moment was winning the World Cup (in 1983). Usually, I don’t like watching highlights of past matches, but if that game is on (the final versus the West Indies), I stick around to watch it one more time… People tend to think that we were not expecting much from ourselves in that tournament, but that is not true. In fact, after we beat the West Indies in the opening game, we were quietly confident, and before the final, we fully believed that we would win,” asserted Gavaskar.
As far as his favourite innings is concerned, the scorer of 35 international hundreds chose a relatively unheralded half century he made against England in treacherous conditions in Manchester in 1971 as his best knock. “The ball was seaming all over the place, and the English bowlers were really running in. It was quite cold, and then it began to drizzle too, which made batting very difficult,” he said.
On the subject of the toughest bowlers he had ever faced, Sunny, who had squared up to many of the fiercest bowlers in the history of the game, picked Malcolm Marshall, Andy Roberts, Imran Khan and Richard Hadlee as the most challenging to bat against.
SUNNY UNCUT
Rohan Gavaskar, is a diehard fan of Manchester United, but his father pledges allegiance to Arsenal. So what if he can remember the name of only one Gunners player: Thierry Henry. The reason? “While I was growing up, I used to idolise M.L. Jaisimha; he was one of my heroes. I happen to find a lot of similarities between him and Arsene Wenger, which is why I support Arsenal.”
Sunny deftly avoided mentioning any particular Bollywood actress as his favourite, and instead took his pick from Hollywood in the form of the iconic Meryl Streep. He did, however, name his favourite Bollywood song — Chaand si mehbooba — before humming a few lines.
Text: Priyam Marik
Pictures: Pabitra Das
