Sunil Gavaskar and the art of facing fast bowling

34 Tests, over 10000 runs scored at an average of 51.12 and the 1st person to score 30 Test centuries, Sunil Gavaskar is undoubtedly one of the greatest batsman the game of cricket has ever seen. During a time when Indian batsman were considered weak against fast bowling, Gavaskar showed the world what Indians were capable of. He remained a blessing for India by being able to open the batting and thwart the fast bowling greats of his era. And this is the era of Michael Holding, Dennis Lillee, Andy Roberts, Imran Khan and many many others.
Not many are aware of how Gavaskar achieved such Godly status. There are batsman with better batting averages, who have scored 30+ centuries and have 10,000+ runs in their career. But the greatest asset to Sunny was his temperament and the motivation he extended to his fellow players. So, let us now look at how Gavaskar batted against arguably the best bowling era of International cricket. Gavaskar’s technique was built on concentration and focus. He didn’t intimidate bowlers or dominate them by thrashing them for numerous fours or sixes. Similar to Rahul Dravid who came after him, Sunny left away the difficult bowls and waited for those somewhat easy ones. And if an easy bowl was spotted, it was quickly dispatched to the boundaries with beautiful strokes. He stood for unbreakable defense which was supported through equal ability to play on front and back foot. Anything outside the stumps was left alone forcing the bowlers to bowl straight at the body and these balls were either driven through the onside or were smashed by his most elegant shot – the straight drive.
      In 27 tests against the West Indies, Gavaskar scored an almost unbelievable 2749 runs at an average of 65.45, with an astonishing 13 centuries. And believe me, this is one of the best bowling attacks ever seen in cricket. And he did this while not wearing a helmet. The 1st instance of a helmet being used was in 1978 by Australian Graham Yallop against the West Indies. Gavaskar made his debut in 1971 and hence had to play his 1st seven years without any protection against the fast bowling. Even later, he wore specially designed protective head gear because he felt his batting would be affected by helmets. He attained such confidence through his focus on the ball. In an interview, Gavaskar revealed that never did he leave the ball out of his sight. He even followed it while it was being sent from the keeper to mid-on and back to the bowler. Such attention to the game was what made him difficult to break and the pride of every Indian.
    Gavaskar will mostly be remembered for his stats and the records he achieved. But they will not reveal the impact he had, not only, on Indian cricket but the world as well.