Kapil Dev refutes rivalry claims with Sunil Gavaskar, calls him an 'ultimate professional'

Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar turned 71 on Friday, July 10. The stylish right-hander was widely regarded as one of the greatest Test batsmen of all time. He was also part of the Indian line-up that lifted the 1983 World Cup under the leadership of Kapil Dev. During their playing days and beyond their international retirements, several media reports indicated that the two cricketers never looked eye-to-eye and were often involved in conflicts within the team. The reports were an indication of India’s turbulent performance that led to multiple captaincy exchanges between Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar in the 1980s.

However, Kapil Dev once famously denied any rivalry claim he had with Sunil Gavaskar and even praised the legendary batsman for his work ethic. To commemorate the 71st Sunil Gavaskar birthday, here's a look back at the time when Kapil Dev candidly denied any conflicts he had with the ‘Little Master’.

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Sunil Gavaskar birthday: Kapil Dev praises the legendary batsman

In June 2019, former captain Kapil Dev interacted with Gaurav Kapur on the Oaktree Sports' Breakfast with Champions. During the interaction, the 1983 World Cup-winning captain described Sunil Gavaskar as the “true professional” of Indian cricket. He said that during their playing days, Gavaskar always refused to go to “night clubs” in the evenings because he never wanted to sit beside people who were smoking. Kapil Dev stated that Sunil Gavaskar did not want to risk harming his eyes by smoke as it would have an impact on his batting performance later on the field.

Kapil Dev also criticised the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for rotating captaincy between him and Sunil Gavaskar during their playing days. He revealed that while he was appointed as India’s captain for the 1983 World Cup, he wished the role went to Gavaskar because the veteran batsman was more “mature” and “sensible”.

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Sunil Gavaskar birthday: Kapil Dev praises his ex-teammate

Video Credits: YouTube/Oaktree Sports

Sunil Gavaskar birthday: Sunil Gavaskar centuries

The sheer number of Sunil Gavaskar centuries places him among the all-time greats of the game. He registered 34 centuries and 45 half-centuries in Tests and was the first person to score hundreds in each innings of a match on three occasions. Since his debut in 1971 up until his retirement in 1987, Gavaskar represented the national side in 125 Tests and 108 ODIs. The right-hander scored 10,122 Test runs at an average of 51.12 and he was the first cricketer to scale 10,000-plus runs in the format.

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Image credit: BCCI Twitter and BCCI.TV