When a Caribbean singer made a song in awe of Sunil Gavaskar's batting

Sunil Manohar Gavaskar celebrated his 72nd birthday on 10th July 2021. For a generation of cricketers, this man was an inspiration. It has been said and documented several times that the Mumbai-born batter was the first who made Indians believe that they could not only bat against rapid pace but also score runs. However, in order to talk or even explain the greatness of Mr. Gavaskar, it is important to go back to his debut series and the impact that it had on the Indian cricket team. 

At the mere age of 22, Gavaskar made some resounding runs in the domestic circuit which prompted his selection into the Indian cricket team. But, as a short-heighted opening batter, he had to face a tough challenge at a very young age. India was touring the Caribbean for the first time in nine years in 1970-71, and the West Indies had a formidable line-up. 

The dream start to a legendary career

Gavaskar missed the first of the five Tests, which ended in a draw, due to an infected fingernail. For the second Test in the Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain, the young Mumbai batter was introduced. In his very first innings, he showed composure and accumulated 65 runs, which was essential in giving India a much-important lead. India played some good cricket and with a great bowling performance, they put themselves within a touching distance of victory, having been set a target of just 124 runs. 

Gavaskar hit the winning runs, ending with an unbeaten 67. This was India’s first-ever win against the West Indies. The legend has it that the batter was extremely disappointed having missed out a century on debut. However, he scored back-to-back centuries in the first two Tests in Guyana and Barbados. In the third Test, he made 116 and 64 not out while in the fourth Test, he returned with 1 and 117 not out. These performances put India on the cusp of a historic win. But, there was one last hurdle, and Gavaskar along with the Indian team returned to Port of Spain for that. 

Gavaskar scored 124 runs in the first innings of the fifth Test. He followed that up with his first double century, 220 in the second innings, which essentially helped India save that Test and even stand a chance of a win at one point. The match ended in a draw and India won a historic series in the West Indies, a feat which could only be repeated in 2006. 

Gavaskar’s love affair with West Indies

Sunil Gavaskar – the real master

As far as Gavaskar was concerned, he had notched up 774 runs at an average of 154.80 in his debut series, which remains a record for any debutant in international cricket. His love affair with the West Indies continued. In an era where most batsmen feared the pace attack of Caribbean teams, Gavaskar stood there and scored runs comfortably without even a helmet. 

During his debut series, Gavaskar had left several people in awe. One of them was Trinidad Calypso singer, Lord Relator, also known as Willard Harris. He wrote a song dedicated to the little master, calling him the ‘real master’. One part of the song says, “It was Gavaskar, The real master, Just like a wall, We couldn’t out Gavaskar at all Not at all, You know the West Indies couldn’t out Gavaskar at all.”

Here is the song of Lord Relator: