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Gavaskar became the first batter in the world to score 10,000 runs in Test cricket during the first innings of the India-Pakistan Test match in Ahmedabad on March 7, 1987.
Sunil Gavaskar reveals how Imran Khan helped him become first batter in the world to score 10,000 runs in Test cricket. (Picture Credit: X/@ICC)
Sunil Gavaskar entered his name in history books on March 7, 1987, by becoming the first batter in the world to score 10,000 runs in Test cricket. The former India captain achieved the milestone during India’s first innings of the Test match played against Pakistan in Ahmedabad. The Little Master, who was also part of the Indian team that won the 1983 World Cup by getting the better of the West Indies in the final played at Lord’s on June 25, 1983, finished his career with 10,122 runs in 125 Test matches. He crossed the 10,000-run mark in his 124th match, and the next match in Bengaluru from March 13 to 17, 1987, was his last red-ball match for India.
Gavaskar, who recently appeared in the Dressing Room show on Ten Sports Pakistan, revealed how former Pakistan captain and legendary all-rounder Imran Khan helped him cross the 10,000-run mark in Test cricket. According to Gavaskar, he was planning to retire in 1986, but Imran asked him to postpone the plans and retire after Pakistan’s Test tour of India in 1987, and that helped him to play for one more year, and during that period he scored more than 1000 runs.
“There will be many who’ll go past the (10,000-run mark), but like Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary are remembered for being the first to climb Mount Everest, the first to get to 10,000 runs will also be remembered. I got the opportunity to do so only because of one Imran Khan,” Gavaskar said.
“Now, the year before, in England, after the first Test was won, Imran and I, we went with a friend to Bang Opposite Harrods in London. It’s an Italian restaurant. So, we went for a lunch there. At which point, I told him that this is going to be my last (Test)… It was 1986. This is my last. I’m going to quit after this series. And he said, ‘No, no, you can’t do that.’ And I said, What do you mean I can’t do that? It’s my choice.”
“So, he said, ‘No, no, Pakistan is coming to India, and I want to beat India with you playing in it. I don’t want to beat India (without you). It won’t be the same.’ So I said, no, Pakistan is not coming. He said, ‘No, the ICC meeting is happening. You will hear the announcement next week.’ I said, If there is that announcement, then I will carry on. But if the announcement doesn’t come, then I will finish after the next Test. I’ll finish. Sure enough, the announcement came through. And so I carried on.”
WATCH: Sunil Gavaskar reveals how Imran Khan helped him become first batter to score 10,000 runs in Tests (From 01:04:05)
“So if I had retired that time, I would have had 9,200 or 9,300 runs. But because of that, before Pakistan came, you (Wasim Akram) were part of their team. There were two other matches, two other series in India, so I got close to 10,000 Test runs. So, if Imran had not told me to carry on…’ Gavaskar added.
During his 16-year-long Test career, Gavaskar played 24 Test matches for India against Pakistan and, with the help of five centuries and 12 fifties, scored 2089 runs. In his last Test series, Pakistan managed to beat India with a scoreline of 1-0.
