Sunil Gavaskar 'could get away with murder', refused to listen to anyone: 'He wouldn't even answer the Prime Minister'

Long before Virat Kohli dominated Indian cricket and its fans, long before MS Dhoni was untouchable during his time as the captain of the Indian cricket team, and long before Sachin Tendulkar became the 'God' of cricket, Sunil Gavaskar was the OG. Gavaskar was the alpha male of Indian cricket, even before that term became a rage worldwide. There's a reason why he is still revered in the Indian cricketing circuit. The first man to score 10000 Test runs, Gavaskar was fearless. How else would you explain the Little Master facing some of the fastest bowlers cricket had to offer? Dennis Lillee, Jeff Thomson… and of course, the famous West Indian pace-bowling quartet featuring Joel Garner, Malcolm Marshall, Andy Flower and Michael Holding. Gavaskar was something special, cut from a different cloth. Sunil Gavaskar's aura in his prime was something else altogether(AFP)

In the 1970s, though, his vibe was different. As his former India teammate Karsan Ghavri narrated, Gavaskar did things his own way; he was that powerful. Ghavri, the former Indian pacer, narrated a couple of incidents, explaining how Gavaskar could have his way with anything and everything. One of the most infamous chapters of Gavaskar's career was his painstakingly slow knock of 36 off 174 balls in the inaugural 1975 World Cup. Gavaskar's innings did not please anyone inside the dressing room, but the Little Master was adamant.

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"We, as Indian cricketers, did not know how to play one-day cricket. In the first match, England scored 334, but when we came to bat, Sunil played out all 60 overs in that particular match. So many times, messages were sent, asking him to either accelerate or get out, trying to pick the pace. But Sunil Gavaskar was Sunil Gavaskar in the 1970s. He wouldn't listen to anyone. He just played out Tony Grieg, Geoff Arnold, Chris Old and Bob Willis. The reason he gave after the match was, 'I was facing these guys, practising against them for the Test matches in the future'. There was turmoil in the dressing room. When our manager asked him, Gavaskar said 'Leave me alone'," Ghavri told Vickey Lalwani on his YouTube channel.

When Sunil Gavaskar refused to meet India's Prime Minister

That wasn't it. Ghavri went on to share another anecdote about when Gavaskar refused to answer the Prime Minister of India. The Indian team was playing a Test match against Australia at the then-Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in Delhi. On the day of the match, former PM Morarji Desai was to meet players of both teams. Everything was on track, except that Mr. Desai got late by 10 minutes, by the time the toss took place, and it was India's turn to bat.

"Sunil Gavaskar was all set. Padded up. He was sitting in the dressing room and concentrating. Raj Singh Dungarpur was there, and in the meantime, he was concentrating. Sunil was about to go out and bat in a few minutes. Raj Singh said 'Come on, everyone. The Prime Minister is here. The introduction will take place. It will take just 2-3 minutes.' Everybody went out, but Sunil said, 'I am not coming'. He said, 'Let me concentrate. My batting is important for me and my team.' They left him alone."

"Sunil batted till tea, and scored some runs also. At the end of the day’s play, we didn’t know that the PM had come to the dressing room only to meet Gavaskar. This is how Sunil Gavaskar, in his prime, right from 1971 to 1987, was always a champion. He could get away with murder."

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