Much has already been written about Sunil Gavaskar on the occasion of his 60th birthday. Each and every news channel in India aired special programmes to commemorate the occasion. Detailed in depth interviews were published in newspapers and websites paying rich and glowing tributes to the legend. To follow up on these and to write something novel about Indian cricket?s first real post-independence superhero is a challenging task. Suffice to say, however, that Sunil Gavaskar and his achievements can?t just be restricted to cricket and that his persona travels far beyond the boundary.
In post-colonial India, the nationalist imagination centring on cricket underwent a gradual transformation. With anti-colonial nationalism becoming redundant, it moved from patriotism to jingoism and communalism, as evident in matches against Pakistan and in crowd disturbances that resulted in the abandonment of matches. This may be ascribed to the game?s commercialisation, particularly after 1983 when expectations gradually turned unreal. Nothing short of a clear victory satisfied the cricket enthusiast, whose fury at a loss can easily compete with the football goons of England or Holland. With the failure of economic planning and disillusionment with the nationalist project, the masses came to see in international cricket the nation?s assertion in the global arena. This explains why words like ?war and ?spectacle? actually complement each other on the cricket field. The one cricketer who spearheaded this transformation more than anyone else is Sunil Gavaskar.
In working on a book ,?The Indian Century?, one of the first figures who came to my mind was Gavaskar. It was exactly five years before my birth that Gavaskar made the cricket world sit up and take notice in the Caribbean in 1971. For me as a child growing up in an India that was gradually falling prey to turmoil and secessionist movements, Gavaskar evoked a sense of calm. He helped craft a national imaginary that looked solid and resolute. No Caribbean tornado could break his defensive barrier, just as India stood solid amidst all the turmoil. He was a sign of India?s resurgence, a comforting balm that things, if not alright, were certain to get better in the months to come. Sunil Gavaskar, by standing upright and poised on the field, was giving millions of Indians growing up in the early 1980s a sense of confidence that the nation?s increasing politicisation was causing to erode.
What makes Gavaskar different from his contemporaries like Allan Border, David Gower or Michael Holding, perhaps equally great cricketers of our times and now equally successful media personalities? Is Gavaskar different at all? Can we suggest that there exists a ?Brand Sunil Gavaskar? when there?s no such thing for a Border or a Miandad?
Gavaskar, unlike the others, is often anti-establishment despite being part of the establishment. He is a complete package ? outstanding player, outspoken individual, a perfect role model and above all for his penchant for controversies. Gavaskar, despite chairing the ICC?s cricket committee at the time did not bat an eyelid in labeling Ricky Ponting a cheat when he claimed a grassed catch of Sourav Ganguly in Australia. In saying what he did on television, he inspired the entire band of Indian journalists touring down under to stand up to the gross violation of the spirit of the game at the new-year test in Sydney. And with television revenue driving the cricket world in the way it is, he is the best brand ambassador Indian cricket can offer. With a Border or a Gower there are no stories, something television survives on. Great players no doubt but they aren?t MCC annual lecture or coffee table material. Gavaskar, the patriot, by letting his heart do the talking, is more often a newsmaker when the others are not.
Just consider his tirade against Ponting during the Sydney Test of January 2008. Gavaskar did not mince words in suggesting that the Australian captain had flouted the norms of cricket and had gone against the spirit of the game. His statements provoked a censure from the ICC but Gavaskar was unrepentant. He stood his ground and billions in India hailed him for that. The truth is Gavaskar, the legendary player, has aged gracefully. He continues to charm, inspire and motivate. A great player has now turned a great commentator and he also continues to be the ardent nationalist he once was.
To conclude it can be suggested that an assessment of a player?s contribution to India?s cricket history, both in colonial India and in more recent times, cannot be done simply on the basis of performance. In fact, though iconicity in Indian cricket was/is largely based on performance per se, such performances became significant only in cases when leading cricketers were able to influence the national imagination. Understanding ?performance? in this very specific sense, Sunil Gavaskar stands unrivaled. He was and remains the best India has ever produced.
How do we then celebrate Sunil Gavaskar? Simply as a man who gave us recognition on the pitch in his playing days and continues to do so in anything he does. He makes us feel proud as fellow Indians.
The writer is a cricket historian