Did you know: 'Little Master' Sunil Gavaskar had a big weakness for Parle G biscuits

Mumbai: Sunil Gavaskar is known for his impregnable defence against the greatest bowlers of all time, but the former opening batsman, who turned 67 on Sunday, had a weakness — glucose biscuits from Amchi Mumbai. Gavaskar’s younger sister Nutan revealed this during a function organised to mark his birthday by the Legends Club at the Cricket Club of India. “He used to like those biscuits…Parle G gluco biscuits. West Indies was a long way off and (it was a) long tour, so he would like to have those biscuits with his tea or coffee, so whoever was travelling there, we would try and send those packets of biscuits for him,” Nutan Gavaskar told reporters. [caption id=“attachment_2886508” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Sunil Gavaskar. Getty Images[/caption] “He would pack (the biscuits before the tour), they often used to get over in three weeks or a month. Wherever he travelled, and whoever travelled to that place, some journalist or someone we knew, or relatives, some friends (we used to send biscuits with them),” she added. “Now he is a little worried about diabetes and those biscuits are little sweet, so he tries and avoids them, (but) he still likes them.” Former Mumbai opener Shishir Hattangadi recalled how the formidable West Indian pacers respected the Little Master. “It was at Ravi Shastri’s house where during some tournament (for charity)… all the fast bowlers had come in, and they were having a few beers at Ravi’s place. Sunny (Gavaskar) walks in his pyjama-kurta a little late. The moment he walked in through that door, all four (bowlers), all over six feet, got up saying ‘hi master, how are you’,” he reminisced. “I mean that (is the kind of) respect and reverence the four great bowlers (had for Gavaskar) and they were all great — (Micheal) Holding, (Joel) Garner, (Malcolm) Marshall, (Andy) Roberts,” he said. Former India cricketer Madhav Apte and Mumbai cricketer Vasudev Paranjpe also shared their memories about Gavaskar.