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BCCI honours Sunil Gavaskar on 50th anniversary of his iconic Test debut against WI; Tendulkar hails his idol

BCCI honours Sunil Gavaskar on the 50th anniversary of his iconic Test debut against the West Indies in 1971 while former India cricketer Sachin Tendulkar hailed his idol on his 50th anniversary.

BCCI honours Sunil Gavaskar on 50th anniversary of his iconic Test debut against WI; Tendulkar hails his idol

Mumbai, March 6: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday (March 6) honoured former India cricketer and batting legend Sunil Gavaskar on the 50th anniversary of his Test debut against West Indies.

Gavaskar - who is in Ahmedabad as the commentator for the ongoing fourth Test between India and England - was honoured by BCCI secretary Jay Shah during the lunch break on Day 3 at the Narendra Modi Stadium.

Gavaskar was felicitated with a cap and a memento by the BCCI secretary even as a banner in the stands marking the eve of the former India captain's milestone of 10000 Test runs. On March 7 in 1987, the stylish right-handed opener became the first man to get past the 10K mark in the red-ball format. In his illustrious career of 125 Tests, Gavaskar slammed 34 centuries and 45 half-centuries and amassed 10122 runs at an impressive average of 51.1.

Earlier in the day, batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar paid glowing tributes to his childhood hero on his anniversary. Tendulkar - who aspired to be India's original 'Little Master' Sunil Gavaskar - went on carving his name on the cricket pitch and surpassed several records set by the fellow Mumbaikar.

On the 50th anniversary of Gavaskar's iconic Test debut, Tendulkar took to his Twitter handle and wrote: "50 years ago on this day he took the Cricketing World by storm. He scored 774 runs in his debut series and each one of us growing up had a hero to look up to."

"India won the series in the West Indies and then in England and all of sudden, the sport in India had a new meaning. As a young boy, I knew I had someone to look up to and try and be like him. That has never changed. He remains my hero. Wish you a happy 50th in international cricket Gavaskar," added Tendulkar.

India, then led by late Ajit Wadekar won the series in West Indies 1-0 and then also clinched the series in England within a space of few months. Tendulkar also said that the entire 1971 team made the country proud and showed the light.

"To every one of the 1971 team a happy 50th Anniversary. You all made us proud and showed us the light," added Tendulkar.

Story first published: Saturday, March 6, 2021, 14:07 [IST]
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