Gavaskar formally inducted into ICC Hall of Fame

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar was formally inducted into the International Cricket Council (ICC) Cricket Hall of Fame last week, in Dubai.

Gavaskar received his commemorative cap from one-time teammate and fellow Hall of Famer Kapil Dev.

Gavaskar is one of the initial 55 inductees in the Hall of Fame, which was launched in January 2009 in association with the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA) as part of the ICC’s Centenary Year.

He is thus part of the Hall of Fame club which now 72 male and female cricketers.

In the presence of ICC’s outgoing chief executive Haroon Lorgat and former Pakistan captains Aamer Sohail, Ramiz Raja and Waqar Younis, Gavaskar accepted the cap from Kapil in front of a select gathering.

Apart from Gavaskar and Kapil, Bishan Singh Bedi is the only other Indian in the Hall of Fame.

A delighted Gavaskar said that it is a huge honour because the inductees are decided by the “peers in the game.” “It is a huge honour because it is the peers in the game who decide who is going to be inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. It has taken some time to co-ordinate the presentation, but finally it is there and I am delighted that I have been inducted. This means that you are in select company and, therefore, it becomes all the more special. To be an original inductee is an even bigger honour,” Gavaskar said.

Gavaskar, the first to cross the 10,000-run mark in Tests, also cherished receiving the cap from Kapil, who he termed as the “greatest Indian cricketer.”

 “Kapil is somebody who I consider as the greatest Indian cricketer and to receive this cap from him is a real big plus, a real big honour. Kapil and I have had some wonderful times playing for the Indian team. Being part of the World Cup-winning squad (in 1983) is a memory that will always stay with me… Kapil lifting the Cup at Lord’s is something that I will always treasure and, therefore, to receive the cap from him makes this occasion even more special,” Gavaskar said.

Kapil, too, was happy to present the cap to Gavaskar. “It is a proud moment to be in the same group where Sunil Gavaskar is. In our time, we used to think, and even till today we think, that Sunil is one of the best-ever opening batsman… Sunil was the greatest player in my era and certainly was the best I played with,” Kapil said.

Kapil was also all praise for Gavaskar, the captain, and said that he was the best skipper he played under. “He was the best captain I played under. The team was struggling in those days. We did not have those great players that we have today. But under the circumstances, Sunil was a big influence on the side. He gave us motivation and taught us how to fight.

THE COMPLETE LIST

Initial inductees: Sydney Barnes, Bishan Singh Bedi, Alec Bedser, Richie Benaud, Allan Border, Ian Botham, Geoffrey Boycott, Donald Bradman, Greg Chappell, Ian Chappell, Denis Compton, Colin Cowdrey, Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar, Lance Gibbs, Graham Gooch, David Gower, WG Grace, Tom Graveney, Gordon Greenidge, Richard Hadlee, Walter Hammond, Neil Harvey, George Headley, Jack Hobbs, Michael Holding, Leonard Hutton, Rohan Kanhai, Imran Khan, Alan Knott, Jim Laker, Harold Larwood, Dennis Lillee, Ray Lindwall, Clive Lloyd, Hanif Mohammad, Rodney Marsh, Malcolm Marshall, Peter May, Javed Miandad, Keith Miller, Bill O’Reilly, Graeme Pollock, Wilfred Rhodes, Barry Richards, Vivian Richards, Andy Roberts, Garfield Sobers, Brian Statham, Fred Trueman, Derek Underwood, Clyde Walcott, Everton Weekes, Frank Woolley, Frank Worrell

2009 inductees: Herbert Sutcliffe, Steve Waugh, Wasim Akram, Victor Trumper, Clarrie Grimmett

2010 inductees: Rachael Heyhoe Flint, Ken Barrington, Courtney Walsh, Joel Garner

2011 inductees: Belinda Clark, Frederick Spofforth, Curtly Ambrose, Alan Davidson