‘I’ll definitely score a fifty faster than you’: How Sunil Gavaskar fulfilled a promise made to Kris Srikkanth
On of India’s most successful opening pairs, Srikkanth revealed how Gavaskar made a promise to him and was able to fulfil it during one of their partnerships.
Former chairman of selectors Kris Srikkanth recalled an instance when his opening partner Sunil Gavaskar successfully kept a promise he made. Srikkanth made his debut for India in the year 1981 and in him and Gavaskar, India found a bankable opening pair. Srikkanth was the aggressor, his unorthodox batting style threw oppositions off guard, while Gavaskar remained the epitome of batsmanship.
In a chat, Srikkanth revealed how Gavaskar made a promise to him and was able to fulfil it during one of their partnerships.
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“I played under the captaincy of a great leader, Sunil Gavaskar and also I got to play as his opening partner. This is all God’s grace, nothing else,” Srikkanth said on Cricket Connected – Aattam Thodarum show on Star Sports.
“One of my favourite moments with Sunil Gavaskar is the Madras Test against Pakistan in 1987. It was his last series. He always used to tell me, ‘Cheeka! One day I’ll definitely score a fifty faster than you in the same match.’ Finally, this wish of Sunil became a reality in the Madras Test. I scored a century in that match. But, living up to his words, Sunil was the first to score 50 runs and I reached my 50 one ball later.
Together, Srikkanth and Gavaskar opened the innings 55 times for India, scoring 1680 runs at an average of 30.54 with two century and 11 fifty-plus stands. They are India’s fifth most successful opening pairs in ODIs after Sachin Tendulkar-Sourav Ganguly, Shikhar Dhawan-Rohit Sharma, Tendulkar-Virender Sehwag and Sehwag-Gautam Gambhir.
“I can’t even believe that Sunil really did this and also, it happened in Chennai. He played aggressively and superbly in that match, and ended up scoring 91 runs,” Srikkanth added.
