Legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has finally opened an account on Instagram. He made the announcement on the 50th anniversary of his debut for the Indian cricket team. The right-hand batsman has been an inspiration to many cricketers through the years, the most accomplished among them being the Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar.
Sunil Gavaskar was felicitated by the BCCI ahead of the 3rd Day of the 4th Test match between India versus England at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad.
Celebrating 50 years of Sunil Gavaskar's Test debut 👏👏
— BCCI (@BCCI) March 6, 2021
The cricketing world paid tribute to the legendary former India Captain Mr. Sunil Gavaskar on the occasion of his 50th anniversary of his Test debut for India. @Paytm #INDvENG
Full video 🎥 👉 https://t.co/k97YiyvcmR pic.twitter.com/za4Soq0yMh
Sachin Tendulkar has a message for his idol as well. He said, “As a young boy I knew I had someone to look up to and try and be like him. That has never changed. He remains my hero. Wish you a happy 50th in international cricket Mr. Gavaskar. To everyone of the 1971 team a happy 50th Anniversary. You all made us proud and showed us the light.”
The iconic Indian opener was felicitated by Jay Shah, secretary of the BCCI and son of Home Minister Amit Shah.
Join me in celebrating the 50th anniversary of Shri Sunil Gavaskar Ji's Test debut for 🇮🇳. It is indeed a momentous occasion for all Indians and we are getting to celebrate it at the world's largest cricket facility Narendra Modi Stadium 🏟️ @ICC @BCCI pic.twitter.com/NzolBqvKzI
— Jay Shah (@JayShah) March 6, 2021
Sunil Gavaskar made his test debut on the 6th of March 1971. Between 1971 and 1987, he played 125 test matches for India and scored 10,122 runs at an average of 51.1, smashing all manner of records along the way. His record of 34 Test centuries stood for two decades before it was surpassed by another legend of the game who idolized him, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar.