Sunil Gavaskar Profile

Full Name: Sunil Manohar Gavaskar
Born: July 10, 1949, Mumbai, Maharashtra
Major teams: India, Mumbai, Somerset
Batting style: Right-hand bat
Bowling style: Right-arm medium

Achievements:First player to score more than 10,000 runs in Tests; one of the only two players to score centuries in each innings, three times; highest number of runs in a debut series by an Indian (774 against West Indies); Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1980; awarded Padma Bhushan

Sunil Manohar Gavaskar, one of the greatest opening batsmen the game has ever seen, made a spectacular Test debut in 1971 scoring 774 runs in his first Test series against the West Indies. Throughout his illustrious career, Gavaskar was renowned for his near flawless technique that helped him shine in an era ruled by some most hostile pacemen ever to play the game.

Thanks to his technique and enormous powers pf concentration, Gavaskar was able to provide much needed solidity to Indian batting that often crumbled under pressure. He was a 4th innings wonder who played numerous great innings on treacherous fifth-day tracks that were virtual deathbeds for less capable batsmen. Gavaskar's solid 102 at Port of Spain, Trinidad in 1975-76 laid the foundation for India to win the match chasing a mammoth total of 403.

Sunny, as Gavaskar was affectionately known, was a statistician's delight who has some of the most amazing cricketing records to his name. Gavaskar's aforementioned total against West Indies was the highest number of runs in a debut series. Gavaskar was the holder of the record for the most number of Test centuries (34) until 2005 when his countryman Sachin Tendulkar broke that record.

Gavaskar was the only player to score centuries in each innings, three times (Ricky Ponting equalled this record against South Africa in 2006). He was also the first batsman to reach 10,000 Test runs and held the record for the most number of runs until it was broken by Allan Border.

More than these glittering achievements, Indian cricket would be grateful to Gavaskar-and to Gundappa Viswanath--for showing the world that India indeed can produce batsmen who don't cringe before genuine pace. The fact that Gavaskar scored 13 centuries against West Indies facing great pacemen such as Roberts, Holding, Garner, Croft and Marshall speaks volumes about his batting prowess.

Sachin Tendulkar Profile

Full Name: Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar
Born: April 24, 1973, Mumbai, Maharashtra
Major teams: India, Mumbai, Yorkshire
Batting style: Right-hand bat
Bowling style: Legbreak googly

Achievements:Most runs and most centuries in ODIs; highest number of Test centuries; first cricketer to make 10,000 runs in ODIs; most runs in World Cup history; highest individual score by an Indian (186 not out); most Man of the Man awards in ODIs; Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1997; Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award for 1997-98

More than his cricketing genius, the greatness of Sachin Tendulkar lies in his approach towards the game of cricket and the commitment he shows while playing for his country. In terms of his mind-boggling cricketing achievements and the mass adoration he commands all over the world, Sachin is an once-in-a-lifetime cricketer.

Since his debut against Pakistan in 1989-90 as a precocious talent, Sachin has metamorphosed into a cricketing phenomenon by dint of his skills and an uncompromising work ethic. In his illustrious career spanning 16 years and counting, Tendulkar has amassed 24,000 international runs made with the aid of more than 70 centuries.

A statistician's delight, the Tendulkar juggernaut has broken cricketing records of all hues, while consistently setting new benchmarks of excellence. Till date, Sachin is the only player to score a century while making his Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy and Irani Trophy debut. He has scored the highest number of runs and most centuries in One Day cricket. With at least five years of cricket still left in him, Tendulkar is sure to scale greater heights in both forms of cricket.

But impressive as his statistics are, they cannot represent the true essence of his genius. Apart from his sublime skills, Tendulkar is blessed with a shrewd cricketing brain that helps him achieve a better understanding of the game and come up with his own set of innovations.

History of Cricket in India

The history of cricket in India can be traced to the Eighteenth century with references of a friendly match between two teams of visiting sailors at a seaport in Kutch in 1725. This English game soon caught the fancy of the natives with the Pasis coming up with the first non-British cricket club of the country, the Orient Cricket Club in Mumbai in 1848.

Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala, one of the chief patrons of cricket in India, led the first unofficial tour of an "All India" team to England in 1911. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) took root largely due to the efforts of the Maharaja along with A. S. De Mello, Lord Harris and R. E. Grant Govan.

The strenuous efforts of these visionaries bore fruit when India was admitted to the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 1929 and subsequently granted test status in 1932. The day June 25, 1932, would be a red-letter day in the history of Indian cricket as on this fateful day India made its Test debut at Lord's, the Mecca of cricket.

During the early days, with cricket yet to find a firm footing in the country, three Indians - Ranjitsinghji, his nephew Duleepsinghji and the Nawab of Pataudi (Senior) had made a mark for themselves by playing for English teams. Ranjitsinghji even shouldered the responsibility of leading the Sussex team from 1899 to 1903.