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Tuesday, May 21st 09:24 PM IST
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Sunil Gavaskar GALLERY.
Indian Bollywood actress Rituparna Sengupta (C) poses with actress Mouli Ganguly (L) and former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar (R) during the launch of a food product in Mumbai on April 22, 2013. Indian Bollywood actress Rituparna
Former skipper Sunil Gavaskar todaysaid captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has become more assertiveand added that the faith shown on him by the Board and theselectors will spur him to do better. If the captain has the confidence of the board and theselectors, it gives him confidence to employ tactics on thefield. It's a huge plus. Now that he is doing so well, it willgive him even more confidence, Gavaskar said. Dhoni stroked a maiden counter-attacking double hundredto lead India to a comfortable eight wicket victory overAustralia in the first cricket Test here. [caption id=attachment_641352 align=alignleft width=380 Former skipper Sunil Gavaskar today
Sourav Ganguly, Sunil Gavaskar, Greg Chappell, Dennis Lillee, Martin Crowe, Kapil Dev, Steve Waugh, Nasser Hussain, Vinod Kambli, Harbhajan Singh, Ian Botham, Imran Khan -- there are some people who live life on the edge. You are never quite sure which way they will fall or how to categorize them but for some reason you talk about them. They polarise opinion. They give rise to debate. You can either love them or hate them - but doing both is not possible. But Tendulkar never quite fit that category. He was untouchable in that sense. He was universally loved. However, now, that seems to be changing. His retirement wasn't greeted by sorrow - instead, the world... no, only India, seemed strangely glad. It might be his bad run of form but even then it seems rather harsh. The sight of Tendulkar batting in the middle brought a nation together and almost everyone realised how great a privilege it was. His mannerisms have been etched into our mind so much that most us can at least try and mimic him. Even Rahul Dravid gives it a go at times. But now we choose to forget all of that. We choose to instead focus on his failings as a batsman; on his retirement; on his selfishness; on his age; on his legacy; on his brand value. The cynics will tell you he plays for money... for his sponsors. [caption id=attachment_567486 align=alignleft width=380 Sourav Ganguly, Sunil Gavaskar, Gre
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar says consistent criticism might have played a part in influencing Sachin Tendulkar's decision to quit one-day cricket and it would have been fantastic had he gone after completing 50 ODI centuries. Tendulkar had been struggling for runs for quite some time, leading to debates how long he should continue playing and on Sunday he announced that he would no longer play ODIs. I think he really cares for Indian cricket. May be whatever he saw, read and heard might have prompted him to make a call. But I feel, he knows his body well, Gavaskar said. He is finishing on 49 ODI hundreds. I would have loved to see him get 50 centuries. That would have been fantastic, Gavaskar told NDTV. On being asked that quitting ODI format would at least give Tendulkar a chance to play 200 Tests, Gavaskar said it should not be looked that way. We are looking too far ahead. If he plays the next four Tests, that will take him to 198 and the next two Tests will be later in the next year. It's almost a year down the road. [caption id=attachment_566930 align=alignleft width=380 Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar
strongNagpur/strong: Batting legend Sunil Gavaskar feels young Virat Kohli is the future of Indian cricket and he is ready to take up the captaincy job from incumbent Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the aftermath of the series defeat against England. England broke the 28-year-old jinx by defeating India 2-1 verdict in the Test series after the fourth and final match ended in a draw here today. Gavaskar said it is time the selectors look to the future as Dhoni seemed out of sorts in this series. Till the fourth day of this Test I said there is no alternative to Mahendra Singh Dhoni, but now that Virat (Kohli) has come up with a 100 under trying circumstances I think he has discovered a good part about himself. I think he is ready to take on the mantle, the former India skipper said. [caption id=attachment_560761 align=alignleft width=380 strongNagpur/strong: Batting legend
Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar Wednesday said it was 'incredibly courageous' of his contemporary Mohinder Amarnath to take on the Indian cricket board by revealing that the board chief overruled the national selectors when they wanted to remove Mahendra Singh Dhoni as the team's skipper. Amarnath raised a storm by saying that N. Srinivasan, president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), overruled the selection committee's decision to sack Dhoni after the team had lost all the four Tests in Australia last season. Amarnath was part of the selection panel, headed by Krishnamachari Srikkanth. Gavaskar, reacting to Amarnath's sensational disclosure, told NDTV that if someone has the courage of conviction, he has to be admired. [caption id=attachment_555864 align=alignright width=380 Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaska
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar feels that England captain Alastair Cook has the ability to score 15,000 Test runs and 50 Test centuries before he hangs his boots. With this kind of form and even if his form drops a little, 15,000 Test runs and 50 Test centuries are not beyond him, Gavaskar lavished his praise on the England skipper, who completed 7000 runs at a young age of 27 and with 23 tons has the highest number of centuries for his country. The only unpredictable part in one's career is injuries. If he can get away without any serious injuries, then these landmarks are not beyond him, the legendary opener told NDTV. [caption id=attachment_548961 align=alignleft width=380 Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar
strongNew Delhi/strong: Former captain Sunil Gavaskar criticised the performance of Indian spinners during the humiliating 10-wicket defeat against England in the second Test here, saying allowing the visitors to score over 400 runs proved costly to the home side. The England spin duo did a very good job but what were Indian spinners doing. They allowed England to score 50-odd runs more in their first innings and that too at run-a-ball. How did they allow England to cross 400? Gavaskar asked. The Indian batsmen also did not do well in the Test and they should have been a little better in their application. But more than the batsmen, the spinners had failed to do their job, he said. Gavaskar said he was not surprised at captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni insisting on a turning track for the third Test in Kolkata also but re-iterated that the ploy of preparing rank turners had boomeranged on India. I am not surprised at his comments because he had already said it earlier that he wants turning tracks. But the question you should ask him is, how his slow bowlers are going to make amends. If they continue like in the third Test also, the result is also certain. [caption id=attachment_536345 align=alignleft width=380 strongNew Delhi/strong: Former capt
Former captain Sunil Gavaskar todayaid India will an edge over England in the upcoming Testseries if they manage to win the first match, but added thatthe hosts' batting line-up looks shaky. I have always believed that home teams have an edge.They are familiar with the conditions. They are able to be inthe surroundings they are comfortable in. You know the pitchconditions. In 2011, England very vulnerable, Australia were veryvulnerable. The first Test becomes an important factor.England won the first Test and Australia won the first Test.You derive strength from that. If India wins the first Test, Idon't think England will be able to come back, Gavaskar said.He maintained that the batting looks depleted with theretirement of senior players like Rahul Dravid and V V SLaxman and the opening pair of Virender Sehwag and GautamGambhir struggling for form. The batting looks a bit shaky. The opening pair's formdoesn't look that good. Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman haveretired. Cheteshwar Pujara is new. The batting looks a bitweakened to what we had earlier. [caption id=attachment_513620 align=alignleft width=380 Former captain Sunil Gavaskar today
strongMumbai:/strong Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar today said that Sachin Tendulkar getting some runs under his belt in the Ranji Trophy match before the upcoming four-Test series against England is a good sign. Gavaskar was one of those who had said the 39-year-old's mode of dismissals in recent matches was concerning. He is one the most hardworking studious guys you come across. I think Sachin would have got enough time to think about how he got out. If he has got the runs now, obviously he has worked hard for it. The evidence will be seen in the Test matches. The fact that he has got runs is a good sign, Gavaskar told reporters at an event where he was honoured for his 34 centuries by a Swiss luxury watch firm. [caption id=attachment_513563 align=alignleft width=380 strongMumbai:/strong Former India c
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar on Monday criticised the BCCI's decision to revive the Indo-Pak bilateral cricket ties as he felt Pakistan was not cooperating in the Mumbai terror attacks probe. The bilateral cricketing ties had been snapped after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks and there have been several attempts by the Pakistan Cricket Board in recent months to convince the BCCI to resume it. Being a Mumbaikar I feel what is the urgency when there is no co-operation from the other side, said Gavaskar. Gavaskar also felt that India are playing a lot of cricket in the upcoming season and any other series would only put pressure on the cricketers. England are scheduled to arrive in India for a four-match Test series followed by two Twenty20 internationals before going home on Christmas. They would be back to play five one-day internationals, scheduled to take place from January 11. [caption id=attachment_379222 align=alignleft width=380 Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar
Former Indian batsman Sunil Gavaskar (C) speaks with former cricketer Sivarama Krishnan (L) and Chennai Super Kings Owner Gurunath Meyyappan (R) during the IPL Twenty20 cricket final match between Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders at The M.A.Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on May 27, 2012. Former Indian batsman Sunil Gavaska