 "Sunil Gavaskar reveals how Imran Khan helped him become first to 10,000 Test runs: 'I had retired that time...'")
In a stunning revelation, Sunil Gavaskar has revealed the crucial role former Pakistan prime minister and cricket team captain, Imran Khan, played in helping the Indian batting legend reach the 10,000-run mark in Test cricket.
In March 1987, Gavaskar became the first Test batter to score 10,000 runs in Test cricket. Since then 14 other batters have crossed the hallowed landmark, however, most would not know that the former India captain was ready to retire a year before in 1986 and may not have ever reached the milestone.
How Imran Khan pushed Gavaskar to 10,000 Test runs
Gavaskar, while appearing on the DP World Dressing Room show on Wednesday, revealed that it was Imran Khan who in 1986 persuaded him to continue playing for India which eventually allowed him to reach the feat.
Gavaskar shared that he had decided to retire after India’s tour of England in 1986 when Imran Khan told him to continue at least till the India vs Pakistan series in 1987. This allowed that former opener to cross the 10,000 runs in Tests.
“I got the opportunity to do so (reach 10,000 runs in Test cricket) only because of one Imran Khan. A year before in England after the first Test was won, Imran and I went with a friend to an Italian restaurant for lunch in London. I told him that this is my last series, I will quit after this series,” Gavaskar revealed.
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“He was like ‘You can’t do that’. I said ‘What do you mean I can’t do that, it’s my choice’. He said ‘No no Pakistan is coming to India and I want to beat India with you playing in it. I don’t want to beat India without you, it won’t be the same. I said ‘Pakistan is not coming’. He said ‘ICC meeting is happening and you will hear the announcement next week’.
Impact Shorts
More Shorts“I said ‘If that announcement happens then I will carry on but if the announcement doesn’t come I will finish after the next Test’. Sure enough, the announcement came through so I carried on. If I had retired that time I would have been at 9200-9300 runs. But because Pakistan came and there were two other series in India before that and I got close to 10,000 runs.”
Gavaskar, who retired from Tests after the five-match home series against Pakistan, finished his five-day international career with 10,122 runs from 125 matches. He had an average of 51.12 and smashed a then-record 34 centuries.
Gavaskar completed 10,000 runs in the fourth match of the Test series against Pakistan which was played in Ahmedabad.
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