Legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar had added yet another feather to his well-adorned cap. England’s Leicester Cricket Ground is now set to be named after the former Indian skipper. With this, he will become the first Indian cricketer to have a ground named after him in England. Gavaskar was the highest run-scorer in red-ball cricket during his time. He is also the first batter to score 10000 runs in Test cricket.
The ‘little master’ will travel to Leicestershire to unveil a plaque of his name on the ground, as reported by the Times of India. A giant portrait has been painted on the pavilion wall at the ground, depicting a younger Sunil Gavaskar, carrying his bat over his shoulder, to pay a tribute to the legendary cricketer. Speaking about the honor, Sunil Gavaskar said to the TOI,
“I am delighted and honored that ground in Leicester is being named after me. Leicester is a city with possibly the strongest supporters of the game, especially Indian cricket, and therefore it is a huge honor indeed.”
Sunil Gavaskar also has a stadium named after him in the USA and in Tanzania. A stand at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai has also been named after the former Indian skipper.
Leicester cricket ground to be named after Sunil Gavaskar, he became the first Indian cricketer to have a ground named after him in England. (Source – TOI)
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Sunil Gavaskar’s illustrious International career
Sunil Gavaskar made his India debut on the tour of the West Indies in 1971. He scored 774 runs in four test matches at an average of 154.80. India registered a historic 1-0 win in the five-match series. Gavaskar went on to represent India in 125 Tests and 108 ODI matches. He scored 10122 and 3092 runs in the respective formats.
The right-handed batter has thirty-five international centuries to his name in a 16-year-long career. He also won the World Cup for the country in 1983. The little master was one of the initial inductees into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame which was launched in January 2009.
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