Verified 8 Nov 2026
Cricket · Opening batter and former India captain
Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar is an Indian opening batter and former captain whose technique, concentration and Test records shaped modern Indian cricket.
IndiaBorn 10 July 1949
Current statusRetired from international cricket after 1987; public sources describe his post-playing work as television commentary, analysis and newspaper or magazine columns, alongside past cricket-administration roles.
The verified profile
Sunil Manohar Gavaskar is an Indian right-hand opening batter who played for India from 1971 to 1987. His career includes 10,122 Test runs, 34 Test centuries, the first passage beyond 10,000 Test runs, 3,092 ODI runs and a 1971 debut series of 774 runs in four Tests.
Factual references: Sources 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9How to read the player
Gavaskar’s importance is best understood format by format. He built an unusually durable Test career through judgement, balance and concentration against high-quality pace, while his later ODI record and captaincy show a player adapting to a changing limited-overs game. His public legacy then continued through commentary, writing and cricket administration rather than through an invented current playing status.
Original analysis by SportsHub4U research deskCareer, life and public work
Every section and number below is tied to the named source ledger. Sport-specific statistics retain their stated scope and verification date.
Tests — matches
Completed India Test career total; historical career statistic, not a live current total.
Tests — runs / average
Completed Test career summary.
Tests — highest score
Highest Test innings in the completed India career.
Tests — centuries / fifties
Completed Test career summary.
ODIs — matches and runs
Completed India ODI career summary.
ODIs — highest score
Highest ODI innings; scored against New Zealand at the 1987 World Cup.
ODIs — centuries / fifties
Completed ODI career summary.
1971 West Indies debut series
Debut Test series, not a career aggregate.
India matches captained
Captaincy totals reported by ESPNcricinfo’s historical analysis.
First-class career
Career first-class table, separate from international cricket.
Personal background and identity
Sunil Manohar Gavaskar was born on 10 July 1949 in Bombay, now Mumbai, India. ESPNcricinfo identifies him as a right-hand opening batter, while Britannica describes the small-built batter as a major figure in Indian cricket who mastered short-pitched bowling through judgement and technique. The public sporting record is sufficient for this biography, so it does not add private family or financial claims. Question: When was Sunil Gavaskar born, and how old is he? Answer: Sunil Gavaskar was born on 10 July 1949 in Bombay, now Mumbai, India. He was 77 on 11 November 2026; that age is date-calculated from the documented birth date, not presented as a live source statistic.
From Mumbai cricket to India captaincy
Gavaskar’s international route began on India’s 1971 West Indies tour, where he made his Test debut at Port of Spain and immediately established himself against a formidable attack. He later became one of India’s central leaders, captaining in 47 Tests and 37 ODIs. His record also includes Mumbai/Bombay domestic cricket and a period with Somerset. The journey can be read alongside later batting eras represented by [Sachin Tendulkar](https://sportshub4u.com/players/sachin-tendulkar) and [Babar Azam](https://sportshub4u.com/players/babar-azam), but the figures below remain Gavaskar’s own format-separated record.
Playing career and the Gavaskar stats record
The core Sunil Gavaskar stats are historical career totals: 125 Tests, 10,122 runs at 51.12 with 34 hundreds and 45 fifties; and 108 ODIs, 3,092 runs at 35.13 with one hundred and 27 fifties. The formats should not be blended. His Test output explains the scale of his reputation, while the ODI line shows an important late-career improvement, including an unbeaten 103 against New Zealand at the 1987 World Cup. Question: How many Test centuries did Sunil Gavaskar score? Answer: He scored 34 Test centuries in 125 Tests, according to the ICC and ESPNcricinfo career summaries. Question: What was Sunil Gavaskar’s highest Test score? Answer: His highest Test score was 236 not out; his highest ODI score was 103 not out. These are separate format records.
Technique, concentration and the opening role
Gavaskar’s method was built for the first examination of a Test innings. ESPNcricinfo highlights his technical purity, balance, judgement of length and line, concentration and ability to score from both the front and back foot. Britannica adds his skill against short-pitched bowling, while the BCCI’s account of the 1971 tour shows how he used patience, the hook and a disciplined response to pace. That combination made him more than a defensive opener: it let him stay long enough to exhaust attacks, then punish errors with a full range of strokes.
Pressure, lean periods and reinvention
Gavaskar’s record was not a straight line. ESPNcricinfo identifies a lean stretch after his explosive debut, then a five-year period from 1975 to 1979 in which he averaged 59.91 across 45 Tests. The same analysis records a less successful early- and mid-1980s phase before a strong final run: across his last 16 Tests he averaged more than 58, and his ODI batting improved substantially after 1984. That arc matters because it shows adaptation rather than a single debut-series peak. His 1971 performances, including 774 runs in four Tests, supplied the foundation; his later recalibration kept the career elite across changing conditions.
Commentary, writing and cricket administration
After retiring from international cricket in 1987, Gavaskar used his cricket knowledge in public-facing work. ESPNcricinfo describes him as a television commentator, analyst and columnist, and records responsibilities with the BCCI and a period as chairman of the ICC cricket committee. These are documented roles rather than a claim about a specific current broadcast contract. Question: Did Sunil Gavaskar write a book? Answer: Yes. Google Books lists Sunny Days: An Autobiography by Sunil Gavaskar, published by Rupa in 1976.
Public ventures and evidence boundaries
The reviewed sources establish Gavaskar’s writing, commentary and cricket-administration work, but they do not establish a verified business ownership stake, endorsement value or current net worth. Because the reviewed evidence does not establish a verified Sunil Gavaskar net-worth figure, this profile does not convert unsourced estimates into a number. This evidence boundary is deliberate: a public biography can describe his documented cricket and media contribution without turning unsourced estimates into facts. Readers can return to the [SportsHub4U player directory](https://sportshub4u.com/players) for other source-backed profiles.
Career timeline
Selected verified milestones
- Born in Bombay
Born in Bombay, now Mumbai, India.
ESPNcricinfo - Test debut
Made his India Test debut against West Indies at Port of Spain.
International Cricket Council - 774-run debut series
Scored 774 runs in four Tests on the West Indies tour, including a 124 and 220 in the final Test.
Board of Control for Cricket in India - World Cup ODI milestone
Scored an unbeaten 36 against England in the 1975 World Cup, described by ESPNcricinfo as his most talked-about ODI exploit.
ESPNcricinfo - World Championship of Cricket
Led India in the Australian tournament that ESPNcricinfo describes as a famous 1985 triumph.
ESPNcricinfo - 10,000 Test runs
Reached the first 10,000-run milestone in Test cricket during 1987.
International Cricket Council - International career ends
Completed an international career that ICC dates from 1971 to 1987.
International Cricket Council - ICC Hall of Fame
Received ICC Hall of Fame recognition.
International Cricket Council
Achievement index
Source-linked reference points
Record debut series in the West Indies
Scored 774 runs in four Tests, including four centuries and three fifties, at an average of 154.80.
First beyond 10,000 Test runs
Became the first batter to pass 10,000 runs in Test cricket.
34 Test centuries
Finished with 34 Test hundreds, a record that stood for 19 years before Sachin Tendulkar passed it.
1985 World Championship of Cricket winner
Captained India during its World Championship of Cricket triumph in Australia.
India’s first non-wicketkeeper to 100 catches
Finished his Test career with 108 catches and was the first Indian non-wicketkeeper to reach 100.
ICC Hall of Fame induction
Inducted into the International Cricket Council Hall of Fame.
Sources and method
What supports this profile
SportsHub4U writes verified facts in original language and links to the source pages used. Each link records the evidence reviewed for this dossier.
- 01ESPNcricinfo
Sunil Gavaskar HOME
Accessed 2026-11-08 - 02Encyclopaedia Britannica
Sunil Gavaskar | Indian cricketer, batsman, captain
Accessed 2026-11-08 - 03International Cricket Council
Sunil Gavaskar | ICC Hall of Fame
Accessed 2026-11-08 - 04Board of Control for Cricket in India
Gavaskar against the Windies: Part 3
Accessed 2026-11-08 - 05ESPNcricinfo
The perfect opener
Accessed 2026-11-08 - 06Google Books bibliographic record
Sunny Days: An Autobiography
Accessed 2026-11-08 - 07ESPNcricinfo
Sunil Gavaskar HOME
Accessed 2026-11-11 - 08ESPNcricinfo
The perfect opener
Accessed 2026-11-11 - 09Board of Control for Cricket in India
Gavaskar against the Windies: Part 3
Accessed 2026-11-11