Sunil Gavaskar to get a cricket ground in Leicester named after him
It has been reported that a cricket ground in Leicester is set to be named after Indian batting legend Sunil Gavaskar on Saturday, July 23. Meanwhile, the 1983 World Cup winner would also go down as the first Indian to have a ground after his name in England.
Gavaskar was the name and face of the Indian team and batting in the 70s and 80s and had the reputation of showing fearless intent against the lethal fast bowlers of that era without any protective helmets. In fact, he used to bat by wearing a hat against the ‘Four Horsemen’ of the West Indies team including- Michael Holding, Andy Roberts, Malcolm Marshall, and Joel Garner.
I am delighted and honoured: Sunil Gavaskar
“I am delighted and honoured that a ground in Leicester is being named after me. Leicester is a city with possibly the strongest supporters of the game, especially Indian cricket, and therefore it is a huge honor indeed,” Gavaskar told The Times of India.
The report further adds that “the initiative was taken by UK’s Indian-origin MP Keith Vaz who has been representing Leicester in the parliament for over three decades now.”
Furthermore, a giant portrait of the 73-year-old has already been painted on one of the pavilion walls of the five-acre field that is owned by Bharat Sports and Cricket Club.
Sunil Manohar Gavaskar has scored 13,214 runs international runs in his illustrious 16-year career that spanned from 1971 to 1987 that included 35 centuries. In fact, the Mumbai cricketer became the very first cricketer in the history of the game to complete 10,000 Test runs. He achieved this feat against arch-rivals Pakistan on March 7, 1987, at Ahmedabad. The legendary batter bid adieu to the game in his hometown Mumbai after India’s title defence came to an abrupt end at the hands of the eventual runners-up England in the semifinal of the 1987 World Cup.
Post his retirement, Sunil Gavaskar tried his luck in different fields- worked as a cricket administrator, broadcaster and also penned down a few books titled Sunny Days: An Autobiography, Idols, Runs ‘n’ Ruins, One Day Wonders.
