Sunil Gavaskar inducted into Hall of Fame

India’s batting legend Sunil Gavaskar was formally inducted into the International Cricket Council’s Hall of Fame on Wednesday.

Former India captain Kapil Dev presented Gavaskar the commemorative cap in the presence of ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat and former Pakistan’s cricketers Aamer Sohail, Ramiz Raja and Waqar Younis.

Gavaskar was thrilled to receive the cap from Dev, his captain in India’s1983 World Cup triumph. “Kapil is somebody who I consider as the greatest Indian cricketer and to receive this cap from him is a real big plus, a real big honour,” Gavaskar said. Incidentally, Kapil too was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2010.

“Kapil and I have had some wonderful times playing in the Indian team. Being part of the World Cup winning squad is a memory that will always stay with me. Kapil lifting the Cup at Lord’s is something that I will always treasure and, therefore, to receive the cap from him makes this occasion even more special,” Gavaskar added.

Dev also acknowledged Gavaskar’s contributions for India. “It is a proud moment to be in the same group where Gavaskar is. In our time, we used to think and even till today we think he is one of the best-ever opening batsman and the greatest player in my era,” said Dev.

Gavaskar is one of the initial 55 inductees to the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame which was launched in January 2009 in association with the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA) as part of the ICC’s Centenary Year. He now joins a club that includes 72 male and female cricketers.

“It is a huge honour because it is the peers in the game who decide who is going to be inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. It has taken some time to coordinate the presentation but finally it is there and I am delighted that I have been inducted,” Gavaskar said.

Gavaskar represented India in 125 Test matches, captaining in 47 of those games, and also played in 108 ODIs. During an illustrious 16-year career spanning from 1971 to 1987, the 62-year-old scored 10,122 Test runs at an average of 51.12. He also scored 3,092 ODI runs, with his only century coming in the 1987 World Cup against New Zealand in Nagpur.

Gavaskar is the first Test batsman to complete 10,000 runs and also the first to score 30 Test centuries, achieving the feat against Pakistan during the 1986-87 Test series and against the West Indies in Chennai during the 1983-84 Test series respectively.