Gavaskar frisked at Eden Gardens

Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar was frisked by security men while entering the Eden Gardens Stadium.

He along with Sri Lanka's Russel Arnold was frisked by security men while they were entering the stadium for for the fourth one-dayer on Thursday.

The duo are contracted with Nimbus as commentators for the series between India and Sri Lanka.
According to eyewitnesses, the security personnel near the gate asked Gavaskar to show his identity card while another securitymen checked his carry bag.

"He was allowed in after the check-up. But Arnold was not let in for some reasons as somebody from the commentarty crew came and sorted out the matter. The Sri Lankan was later allowed inside the ground," said an eyewitness.

Union Railway minister Mamata Banerjee condemned the incident saying, "It is sad that the security procedure was followed even for a legendary cricketer like Gavaskar."
When contacted, Nimbus did not comment over the incident.

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Gavaskar to Oz: Be wary of Sachin

Sunil Gavaskar has warned the Australians to be wary of in-form Sachin Tendulkar in the upcoming seven-match ODI series.

"Sachin has been out of cricket for sometime now (last played on September 28) and I think, now he is ready to go back and show that he still has all the shots in the book. I think, it (the series) will be Sachin against the Australians," Gavaskar said.

"He will be opening the batting for India. So I think they will be looking to get him out to psychologically scare the Indians," he said.

Considering the recent impressive form of the Australians, who won the Champions Trophy early this month, Gavaskar said the series would be a hard-fought one.
"Ponting has been captain of the Australia team both times during consecutive Ashes loss in England, he will be determined now to make people forget that, which can only happen with him scoring heavily and leading Australia to victories," Gavaskar said.
"That's the way he approached the seven-match ODI series against England after the Ashes; then also in the Champions Trophy. I think that's the way they are going to play till they come up against England in Australia in 2011," he added.

The former captain advised Indian batsmen to be wary of Australian seam bowling attack.

"Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson and Peter Siddle are going to be a handful, make no mistakes about that. We saw in the Champions Trophy, they have not given too many runs except an odd match. And Lee has bowled brilliantly in the Champions League," Gavaskar said.

"So I don't think it's going to be easy for the Indian batsmen but for the likes of (Virender) Sehwag and (Gautam) Gambhir, there are no such things as a good length or a good delivery. And if they get going, it won't matter who is bowling," he said.
The high-octane series begins on October 25 at Vadodara.

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Yusuf omission surprises Gavaskar

Sunil Gavaskar is surprised at all-rounder Yusuf Pathan's omission from the squad for the first two ODIs against Australia.

Gavaskar contended that the Baroda all-rounder should not be judged by how many runs he has scored but the impact he makes on the whole squad with his attacking brand of cricket.

"Number six does not get too many overs to score. He should be assessed on his impact. When you try to hit quick fire 20-30, you will get out and it should not be held against you," Gavaskar said.

"Otherwise, no one will try to slog at six and seven and will concentrate only on singles and doubles so that they can remain not out with a good 19 or 20," he added.
Gavaskar said that Yusuf's selection would have given a better balance to the Indian side.

"Not only the captain or coach, but the entire selection committee should think about utility and balance. Change for the sake of change is not good," Gavaskar said.

The former Mumbai cricketer had commiseration for Rahul Dravid, who was also dropped.

"I think, Dravid was selected at the first place because Sehwag was unfit. There were also talks of young players not too comfortable against short-balls," Gavaskar said.

On the ODI series, Gavaskar said, "Pressure will be on Ricky Ponting. Ever since losing the prestigious Ashes, he has not played a single game in Australia. Hence, if he goes out winning from India, it will take some pressure off from his shoulder against the home-opposition this season.

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Gavaskar turns 60 today

As Sunil Gavaskar celebrates his 60th birthday today, the cricket world wishes him and reminisces his journey so far.

Seasoned cricket scribe Debasish Datta has put togaether a book, "Sunil Gavaskar, Cricket's Little Master", to mark the legenday batsman's 60th birthday.
While every cricket fan would claim to know all about the icon and his feats, the book boasts of nuggets which no one even might have a clue about.
Sample these: 1. Actor Mithun Chakraborty once played under Sunil Gavaskar against the West Indies and got the wicket of Gordon Greenidge. 2. Gavaskar had recommended Arjuna Ranatunga's name for captaincy to the then Sri Lanka president. 3. A self-confessed Gavaskar fan, virtuoso singer Manna Dey has dedicated a song to the batting great.
Former England opener Geoffrey Boycott has written the foreword of the book, the theme of which is '60 years, 100 tributes'.

"This book is going to be a treasure-trove about one of the best batsmen cricket has ever seen," Datta said.

West Indian legend Sir Garfield Sobers penned the first article before others joined in, paying glowing tributes to Gavaskar.

The anthology, to be published by Niyogi Books, would shed light on many little known aspects of Gavaskar's illustrious life, Datta said.

Sachin Tendulkar swaps the bat for the pen to elaborate why Gavaskar will always remain his hero.

In the book, former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram laments not getting Gavaskar's wicket in Test cricket, while West Indian legend Vivian Richards elaborates on how the Indian 'tortured' the bowlers in the Caribbeans.

Fellow West Indian Andy Roberts claims it was he who had informed Gavaskar about the Calypso written on him, while the actual writer, Lord Relator, also shares his admiration for the Indian.

"I would rather call it a bouquet, collecting contributory articles from his family members, boyhood friends, cricketers both past and current, celebrities from other world and renowned cricket scribes from all over the world," Datta said.
From his family, father Manohar Gavaskar, mother Meenal, son Rohan and brother-in-law Gundappa Viswanath have contributed to the book.

From other walks of life, singer Lata Mangeshkar, tennis player Vijay Amritraj, ace cueist Geet Sethi, former shuttler Prakash Padukone have penned articles.
Some of the legends of the game who paid rich tribute to Gavaskar include David Lloyd, Ian Chappell, Kapil Dev, Hanif Mohammad, Zaheer Abbas, Javed Miandad, Glenn Turner, John Wright, Mike Brearley, Ian Botham, Duleep Mendis and Dickie Bird.
BCCI President Shashank Manohar, secretary N Srinivasan and former South Africa Cricket Board chief Ali Bacher also share their admiration for the Indian batting great, first batsman to score 10,000 Test runs.

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