Sunil Gavaskar names West Indies cricketer who shockingly guided him to score Test tons

Former Indian cricket captain Sunil Gavaskar is widely regarded as one of the greatest in the sport of all-time. Sunil Gavaskar is renowned as the first-ever player to amass 10,000 runs in Test cricket, a milestone which stayed with him for 6 years. Sunil Gavaskar has amassed 10,122 runs in his Test career with a then-world record 34 centuries as well.

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Sunil Gavaskar recalls start of his friendship with Rohan Kanhai

Recently, Sunil Gavaskar recalled an interesting incident from his debut series against West Indies in 1971. While speaking to Gaurav Kapur on his show 22 yards, Sunil Gavaskar narrated an incident when West Indies veteran Rohan Kanhai said a few words to him. Sunil Gavaskar was nearing a ton when he played a rash shot and that is when Rohan Kanhai walked up to him.

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However, instead of sledging or swearing at Sunil Gavaskar, Rohan said something which the former India batsman finds unbelievable till date. Rohan Kanhai asked Sunil Gavaskar what was wrong with him and asked him to concentrate if he has to get to his century. This left Sunil Gavaskar baffled because instead of sledging, his opponent was giving him advice.

Sunil Gavaskar then went on to score three centuries and one double ton in his first-ever series for India. However, besides the fame and recognition from that series, one of the takeaways for him was the friendship he gained with Rohan Kanhai as the two went on to become great friends. In fact, Sunil Gavaskar named his son Rohan after being inspired by the West Indies stalwart.

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Sunil Gavaskar further said that besides his batting, the reason he respected Rohan Kanhai so much was because of how he secretly encouraged Gavaskar. He added that there’s always been this issue between African-origin people and Indian-origin people in Trinidad, Guyana. Gavaskar also said that off the field, Rohan Kanhai was one of the nicest guys he had ever met. He further said that naming his son after him was a no-brainer.

Sunil Gavaskar donation: Sunil Gavaskar donation to PM Cares Fund

In April, Sunil Gavaskar donated ₹59 lakh to the fight the coronavirus pandemic. Mumbai cricketer Amol Muzumdar revealed the news first and expressed his gratitude. Rohan Gavaskar confirmed the news with a tweet and revealed the special reason for the specific donation. Sunil Gavaskar donated ₹35 lakh to the PM Cares Fund for scoring 35 centuries for Team India, while ₹24 lakh to the Maharashtra Chief Minister's Relief Fund for the 24 he scored for Mumbai. 

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IMAGE COURTESY: BCCI TWITTER