According to rumors, Sunil Gavaskar, the legendary Indian batsman, will have a cricket ground in Leicester named after him on Saturday, July 23. The 1983 World Cup champion will also be remembered as the first Indian to have an English stadium named in his honor.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Gavaskar was the face and batting for the Indian side. He was known for his fearlessness in taking on the deadly fast bowlers of the day without any headgear. He really used to bat while sporting a hat when facing the West Indies team’s “Four Horsemen”—Michael Holding, Andy Roberts, Malcolm Marshall, and Joel Garner.
Sunil Gavaskar said, “I am delighted and honoured that a 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.”
The study further states that Leicester’s representative in the parliament for more than three decades, Keith Vaz, is an Indian-origin British politician who took the initiative.
The five-acre field, which is owned by Bharat Sports and Cricket Club, also features a huge image of the 73-year-old already painted on one of the pavilion walls.
In his long 16-year career, from 1971 to 1987, Sunil Manohar Gavaskar amassed 13,214 runs internationally, including 35 centuries. In fact, the Mumbai batsman reached 10,000 Test runs, becoming the first player to ever do so.
Sunil Gavaskar is one of the finest batsmen in Indian history
On March 7, 1987, in Ahmedabad, he accomplished this feat against Pakistan, their bitter foe. After India’s championship defense was abruptly ended by eventual runners-up England in the 1987 World Cup semi-final, the famous batter said goodbye to the game in his home city of Mumbai.
Sunil Gavaskar tried his hand at a variety of jobs after retiring from cricket, including broadcasting and administration. He also wrote many books, including Sunny Days: An Autobiography, Idols, Runs ‘n’ Ruins, and One Day Wonders.
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