Sunil Gavaskar felicitated on 50th anniversary of his Test debut

Ahmedabad: Legendary former India opening batsman and captain Sunil Gavaskar was felicitated on the 50th anniversary of his Test debut at the newly-constructed Narendra Modi Stadium in Motera on Saturday.

The Gujarat Cricket Association presented him with a specially crafted India cap while a banner was unfurled at the Stadium

The event happened during the lunch break in front of a sparse crowd that gave Gavaskar a loud cheer on the third day of the fourth and final Test between India and England.

Gavaskar made his debut 50 years ago, on March 6, against West Indies in Port-of-Spain and scored 65 in the first innings and 67 not out in the second as India won the Test by seven wickets. In fact, he had bowled before he could bat on his debut as he sent down one over.

Gavaskar also became the first player to get to 10,000 Test runs, and he attained that feat here in Ahmedabad 34 years ago. That happened on March 7, which falls on Sunday.

He finished with 10,122 runs and retired from Test cricket 16 years after his debut.

Interestingly, while the debate in the ongoing series has been on pitches and batsmen's inability to play spin bowling, Gavaskar's last Test back in 1987 against Pakistan was a masterclass against spin bowling on a wicket that had broken and was supporting spin bowling in a big way. He scored a brilliant 96.

Gavaskar has been doing media work since his retirement, including TV and radio commentary.

(From IANS with minor edits)