Mythbuster of the week - Sunny not so flash after all?

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Very interesting~~~
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Mythbuster of the week - Sunny not so flash after all?
There is little doubt that Sunil Gavaskar would rank among the best openers in the all-time Test list. What is slightly over-rated, though, is his record against West Indies. At first glance, the stats are awe-inspiring: an average in the mid-60s, with an equally impressive record both home and away, and a hundred every two Tests over a span of 27 matches.

Gavaskar against West Indies
Tests Runs Ave 100s 50s
Home 14 1345 61.13 6 3
Away 13 1404 70.20 7 4
Total 27 2749 65.45 13 7

Dig a little deeper, and a few chinks appear. Gavaskar’s two best series against the West Indians came when their bowling attack was a far cry from the four-pronged battery of fast bowlers that had been synonymous with their cricket in the 1980s. First, the sensational debut series in 1970-71, which fetched Gavaskar 774 runs from four Tests. The pace-bowling attack consisted of Vanburn Holder (career record – 109 wickets from 40 Tests at 33.27), Gregory Shillingford (15, 7, 35.80), Keith Boyce (60, 21, 30.01), Uton Dowe (12, 4, 44.50), John Shepherd (19, 5 25.21) and Garry Sobers (235, 93, 34.03). Hardly fearsome stuff.

Then, when West Indies came with a team weakened by the Kerry Packer exodus, Gavaskar feasted again, with 732 runs in six Tests. The pace bowlers this time were Holder, Norbert Phillip (28, 9, 37.17), Sylvester Clarke (42, 11, 27.85) and a raw Malcolm Marshall, who managed measly returns of three wickets at an exorbitant 88.33 in the Tests.

Series-wise break-up

Year Tests Runs Ave 100s Pace attack

1970-71 (Away) 4 774 154.80 4 Holder, Shillingford, Boyce, Dowe, Shepherd, Sobers, Dowe

1974-75 (Home) 2 108 27.00 - Roberts, Holder, Julien

1975-76 (Away) 4 390 55.71 2 Roberts, Holding, Julien, Daniel, Holder

1978-79 (Home) 6 732 91.50 4 Phillip, Clarke, Holder, Marshall

1982-83 (Away) 5 240 30.00 1 Holding, Roberts, Garner, Marshall

1983-84 (Home) 6 505 50.50 2 Marshall, Holding, Roberts, Daniel, Davis

The two series in which Gavaskar did have to confront a four-pronged pace attack, he didn’t enjoy quite as much success. The tour of 1982-83 was especially miserable: his only score of note in nine innings was an unbeaten 147 on the fifth day of a Georgetown Test which was meandering towards a draw after rain had washed out two of the first four days. Remove that knock, and his eight remaining innings in that series fetched him a mere 93.

The home series in 1983-84 was far more rewarding – his century at Delhi and 90 at Ahmedabad were memorable innings – but almost half his total runs in the series came from one innings, an unbeaten 236 in the last Test, at Chennai, in another rain-affected match after West Indies had already sealed the series in emphatic style. Michael Holding, in his autobiography Whispering Death, suggests that Gavaskar was a fair-weather batsman – impenetrable in good batting conditions, but not quite as impressive when the going got tough. Does he have a point thereLink

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The fact that this guy scored 36 in 60 overs One Day match is enough for me to think he is a selfish, cowardly, variety-less cuckoo.

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^^ Hold on theree, pako. Gavaskar was one of the best batsmen who ever played the game. His batting style did not agree with OD matches, so what, he came up in the era when the Test Cricket ruled. Plus he did ok in the One days as well.

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Crappy analysis is all I can say.

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Fungo,
Selfish - Yes,
Coward, Variety less - No.

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Nikema, link please.

The analysis still show that he had an average of 50.50 against an attack consisting of Marshall, Holding, Roberts, Daniel, Davis. The first three bowlers mentioned here were awesome. The analysis prove that he was a great opener.

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[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by ehsan: *
Nikema, link please.

The analysis still show that he had an average of 50.50 against an attack consisting of Marshall, Holding, Roberts, Daniel, Davis. The first three bowlers mentioned here were awesome. The analysis prove that he was a great opener.
[/QUOTE]

The purpose of the analysis above means that Gavaskar scored bulk of his runs when West Indies comprised of an ordinary attack but when Marshall, Holder, Garner, Roberts were @ their peak, he was very ordinary.

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Umair bhai he played two series against these bowlers, in one his average was 30 in the other 50 and you say he was ordinary?

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[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by ehsan: *
Umair bhai he played two series against these bowlers, in one his average was 30 in the other 50 and you say he was ordinary?
[/QUOTE]

I think this is the sentence which can answer your question.

[quote]

The home series in 1983-84 was far more rewarding – his century at Delhi and 90 at Ahmedabad were memorable innings – but almost half his total runs in the series came from one innings, an unbeaten 236 in the last Test, at Chennai, in another rain-affected match after West Indies had already sealed the series in emphatic style.
[/quote]

The best example would be Graham Smith's performance in the Natwest Test series against England.
He scored 90% of his runs in the first 2 test and was an absolute failiure in the next 3 test, and still ended up averaging very high.

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With that logic - Sir Viv Richards must have been a very ordinary Batsmen, None of his runs came against these bowlers.

Now Only great batsman remains on the Earth is Shahid Afridi. :)

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[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Asif_k: *
With that logic - Sir Viv Richards must have been a very ordinary Batsmen, None of his runs came against these bowlers.

[/quote]

I wouldn't underestimate Lillee, Thompson, Imran, Wasim, Botham, Willis, Hadlee.

[quote]
Now Only great batsman remains on the Earth is Shahid Afridi.
[/quote]

True! :)

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:rotfl: :rotfl:

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Yeah right and Gavaskar never faced them. :hehe:

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Gavaskar did face them but his record is not as good as it is againt the lesser Windies bowlers as the article suggests.

You guys are confusing the thread. It is about Sunny's record against Windies which everybody seems to think is outstanding. Other than that, Gavaskar was a good batsman, but not the great.

Gavaskar is not even close to the class of Viv.

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Do you consider Holding & Roberts as Quality Bowlers ? Try looking at his 1975-76 series performance or 83-84 series.

Try this link http://www-usa.cricket.org/link_to_database/PLAYERS/IND/G/GAVASKAR_SM_06001378/STATS/GAVASKAR_SM-TEST_STATS.html

Richards never got to play against bowlers like Marshal,Holding, Roberts in a single test match.

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Gavaskar is the greatest batsman that ever played cricket.. most solid in technique and awesome selector of shots.. for correct cricket style no one even comes closer to the great Gavaskar.. getting gavaskars wicket was a legendry prize for any bowler..

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Sunil Gavaskar better then Sachin Tendulkar:k: