Sunil Gavaskar is still at the epitome of actor Poonam Kaur's List

The modern era of Indian cricket has witnessed a plethora of stars brimming with talents who have taken the world by a storm. The likes of Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, and Rohit Sharma, have changed the face of Indian cricket and in the process garnered millions of fans all across the world. However, it came as an utter surprise when Telugu film diva Poonam Kaur, who was present in Vishakhapatnam Stadium to watch the India v Sri Lanka final ODI, walked all the way to the television commentators’ box to meet her idol Sunil Gavaskar and click a selfie.

The final ODI at Vizag which was the decider for the series ended up rather being a one-sided affair. The Indian team crushed the Sri Lankan bowlers to register an emphatic 8-wicket victory and further extend their dominion over the Islanders. The teams will face each other once again in the final leg of the bilateral series which includes three T20Is starting from December 20 at Cuttack.

Speaking to the reporters, Kaur said, “I have the utmost respect for him. He is very a humble person,” she admitted. When asked whether she is also a big fan of current Indian superstar cricketers, she quipped: “Who isn’t? Of course, I look up to them, but he (Gavaskar) is at the top of my list.”

A jog down the memory lane

Born on July 10, 1949, Sunil Gavaskar was a part of independent India’s first generation of cricketers. Though there were people like the legendary Mulvantarai ‘Vinoo’ Mankad, Polly Umrigar, MAK Pataudi and the famed quartet of spinners, their success was nothing like what Gavaskar achieved in his zenith.

For a nation such as ours where success at the international level was once in a blue moon occurrence at that time, but the arrival of Gavaskar transformed how the game was played in the country. Many pundits have classified Indian cricket as Gavaskar A.D and Gavaskar B.C.

The little master possibly had the best start to a cricketing career as he notched up 774 runs in his first four Test matches, besides leading India to their first victory in the Caribbean. That soon made him the poster boy of Indian cricket.