Sunil Gavaskar calls THIS cricketer India's all-time No.1 and it is NOT Sachin Tendulkar

Generations have passed by, but the debate about who is the 'Number 1' Indian cricketer has been, seems to never die down. It is difficult to pick a name unanimously as cricket enthusiasts have witnessed numerous greats in the history of Indian cricket. Many will consider former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar as the greatest player to represent the country, considering his significant contribution towards the sport in the 1970s and 1980s. However, Sunil Gavaskar himself shared his viewpoint about the best Indian player of all-time.

Sunil Gavaskar, in an interaction with India Today, revealed that he has always considered Kapil Dev as the 'Number 1' Indian player. He added that he considers the 1983 World Cup-winning captain as a match-winner. Dev's all-round ablities made him a 'complete' player as he could take the game away from the opposition whether it is through his athletic fielding, aggressive batting or fast bowling.

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Gavaskar has showered praises for Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli in the past. However, when it comes to naming a single player right at the top, it is Kapil Dev for the original 'Little Master' of Indian cricket.

Sunil Gavaskar compares Kapil Dev and MS Dhoni

Kapil Dev was the first-ever Indian captain to win the World Cup. The way he led the side in the 1983 campaign is historic. Apart from him, only one more Indian captain has won the ultimate prize in international cricket. MS Dhoni captained India in two World Cup-winning campaigns in 2007 and 2011 in the T20 and 50-overs format respectively. 

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Sunil Gavaskar had an interesting observation as he spoke about the similarity between Kapil Dev and MS Dhoni. He added that both the captains had a comparable approach in terms of their leadership styles. Both these great players like to be in the spotlight as well while playing, according to Sunil Gavaskar. 

In a talk show Breakfast with Champions in the past, Gavaskar admitted that Kapil Dev's 175 against Zimbabwe during the 1983 World Cup was the best ODI innings he had ever seen as it changed the future of Indian cricket. While the Indian media back in their playing days used to pit them against each other due to both of them captaining the team at various junctures, Gavaskar quashed off those rumours by crediting Kapil Dev's positivity as captain in making India win the 1983 mega event in England.

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Sunil Gavaskar stats 

Gavaskar was considered to be a prolific run-scorer for the Indian team. He was the first batsman in the world to cross the 10,000-run mark in Test cricket. He scored 10,122 runs in 125 tests at an impressive average of 51.1. Sunil Gavaskar also represented India in 108 ODIs where he scored 3,092 runs at an average of 35.1

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Image Souce: PTI