Who is Sunil Gavaskar?
Often referred to as the “Little Master of Cricket,” Sunil Gavaskar is well-known. At a time when West Indian bowlers ruled the game, he was perhaps the finest batsman of the age.
Sunil Gavaskar did more than just put India on the cricketing map; he also revolutionised and altered Indian cricket. He was the first test batsman to reach 10,000 runs, among many other career milestones.
Sunil Gavaskar also holds the record for most runs and hundreds scored against the West Indies, 2.743 runs and 13 centuries, an amazing feat given that the West Indies bowlers dominated that era.
Additionally, he has the most runs in a debut test series (774).
Gavaskar, who is recognised as one of the most important cricketers in history, is still a very approachable and modest individual.
One of the best paid cricket commentators, Sunil Gavaskar is well-liked by all cricket fans. The current estimation of Sunil Gavaskar net worth is 220 crores of Indian rupees ($30 million).
He received the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan award in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the Indian team.
Gavaskar was further admitted into the ICC hall of fame in 2005. In 1980, he was also recognised as the Wisden Cricketer of the Year.
The MCC Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey Lecture was originally delivered by Indian batsman Sunil Gavaskar. Gavaskar also served as the BCCI’s acting president in 2014 to manage the IPL.
When did BCCI plan to bring back the YO – YO test?
The Board of Cricket Council of India (BCCI) voted to reinstate the Yo-Yo fitness test as a requirement for choosing the Indian team during a long overdue meeting, the first since India’s elimination from the T20 World Cup semifinals in November last year.
Under Virat Kohli’s direction, the test was frequently used to create a more fit Indian team. Sunil Gavaskar, a former captain of India, has mocked the BCCI for reverting to the Yo-Yo test, arguing that the selection committee should now be composed of medical professionals rather than former India players.
DEXA (Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry), which examines several factors including bone density and body fat percentage, will also be used by BCCI as a selection criteria.
What did Sunil Gavaskar say about the bringing back of YO – YO test?
In his Mid Day column, Gavaskar argued why the Yo-Yo test would be ineffective as a metric since spinners, pacers, and wicketkeepers all require different degrees of fitness.
“The point am trying to make is fitness is an individual thing and there is no such thing as one size fits all. The quick bowlers need a different level than the spinners, the wicket keepers need an even higher level and the batters perhaps the least. So it’s rough when the parameters are set for everybody and not according to one’s specialty,” he wrote.
“Cricket fitness should be the prime consideration. And yes, it would be revealing if these fitness tests are done in the public domain with the media present for then we would know if a player is ‘yoyo’ or no no,” he added , according to The live beyond sport.
Did Sunil Gavaskar also have something to say about the candidates of the selection committee?
In this matter, Sunil Gavaskar said, “ The CAC has just interviewed candidates for the selection committee panel, but not one was a bio-mechanics expert or a body science person. Since eligibility is going to be based on the fitness of a player, it might be better to have these experts in the selection panel than former cricketers,”
“After all if it comes to a choice between two players for a spot in the team these experts would be in a better position to tell which among the two is fitter than the other and never mind the runs scored or wickets taken by the two players.”
