Before Virat Kohli’s crisp cover drives and before Sachin Tendulkar made bowlers reconsider their life choices, Indian cricket had a trailblazer—a man who made the world sit up and say, “Wait, India plays cricket like that?” Enter Sunil Gavaskar, the original batting genius, the man who practically wrote the handbook on opening the innings against some of the scariest bowlers in history.
It was on this very day in 1971 that the Little Master decided to introduce himself to international cricket in the grandest fashion. Facing the mighty West Indies in Guyana—a team stacked with bowlers who could send the ball whizzing past your nose at lightning speed—Gavaskar brought out his trademark technique, unshakable patience, and an iron will. The result? His maiden century.
What no one realized at the time? This was just the trailer.
Gavaskar wasn’t just another young talent; he was the talent. He went on to redefine Indian batting, setting records that seemed unbreakable. By the time he walked away from the game, he had racked up 34 Test centuries—a record that stood untouched for 19 long years. It took another Mumbai maestro, Sachin Tendulkar, to finally surpass him in 2005.
But stats alone don’t do justice to what Gavaskar meant to Indian cricket. He was the first Indian batsman to stand fearlessly against the most lethal fast bowlers of his era, playing without helmets against the likes of Michael Holding, Andy Roberts, and Malcolm Marshall. And yet, he made batting look effortless—like a mathematician solving equations, one perfect stroke at a time.
No wonder our dads talk about him like he walked on water. In many ways, he kind of did—at least on a cricket pitch. Today, as we look back at his legendary debut century, one thing is clear: Sunil Gavaskar didn’t just play cricket. He changed it forever.
