Mid day catches up with Sunny Gavaskar down under, where he received a Bradman honour yesterday
Mid day catches up with Sunny Gavaskar down under, where he received a Bradman honour yesterdayu00a0
Last night India's all-time great opening batsman Sunil Gavaskar and Australia's ebullient wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Gilchrist were made Sir Donald Bradman honourees for 2010 at a glittering function at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
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| Sunil Gavaskar at the Sydney Cricket Ground yesterday |
The previous honourees were all Australians: Norman O'Neill (2006), Neil Harvey and Sam Loxton (2007), Bill Brown and Arthur Morris (2008) and Alan Davidson and Dennis Lillee (2009).
It was a pleasure catching up with 'Sunny' Gavaskar before the gala ceremony. We chatted for two hours and walked two miles in sunny Sydney recalling good old days. Despite jetlag, Sunny visited the Bradman Museum development in Bowral on Tuesday, only a few hours after landing in Sydney. He was excited about the Hall of Fame theme. He agreed with me that India should also have something like Ranji Museum or Merchant's Hall of Fame. "Such structures are the foundations of the game," he said.
Excerpts from a chat:
"Sunny, your feelings on becoming the first non-Australian Bradman honouree, ahead of Sobers, Richards, Botham, Imran ufffd?A huge honour, Kersi. I grew up hearing stories of Don and Vijay Merchant's big scoring, a century was not enough for them. They would go to 200 and 300.
Any recollections of Bradman?I recall my first visit to Australia with the World XI led by Garry Sobers in 1971-72 with nostalgia. I met Sir Don for the first time on that tour. At a get-together, Don came round looking for 'that little fellow' ufffd me! When we two were having a chat, Sobers joked: 'Look at these little fellows together!' Don turned round and quipped: 'Big fellows have power. We little fellows have the footwork!'
The Test you recall with nostalgia?My debut Test at Port-of-Spain in 1971 when I scored 60s in both innings and India won her first ever Test against the Windies.
Which bowler troubled you the most?West Indies' Andy Roberts was the best. I could not relax against him even after scoring a century. He had more variety than any other bowler I faced and he could surprise.
The author is an Indian, based in Sydney, Australia.
